


Not Enough of You

by draeisbae



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 16:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 29,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4187577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/draeisbae/pseuds/draeisbae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a heart-breaking betrayal, Derek is left trying to move on after being hurt by two people he loved. When Braeden is let down by someone she thought she knew, she must learn to pick up the pieces. Both must learn to trust again, perhaps with each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Safety Net

“Erica I already said I don’t wanna go to that stupid club.” Derek rolled his eyes as he looked at the blonde, who was rummaging in his closet. _You need something that doesn’t match your dark soul Derek._

“And I already said I don’t give a fuck Derek. I feel like I never see you anymore. Even Boyd spoke up about it, and you know Boyd doesn’t speak. Most of the time it’s because his mouth is on my-”

Derek immediately cut her off. “Oh god Erica. Fine, alright? I’ll agree to go out tonight if you just stop telling me about my best friend’s sex life, which involves my other best friend.” He winced at the last part, no one should know as much as he did about their friends’ sex lives.

“Deal, I won’t tell you anything for the rest of the night, not even that thing I do with my tongue that makes Boyd-” She smirked as Derek groaned in what sounded like pure agony.

“A month. You tell me nothing for a month and I won’t complain once tonight.” He pointed a finger at her.

Erica frowned, who else was she supposed to talk to about the amazing sex she had with Boyd? “Fine, a month.”

Derek knew the blonde was just using the club as an excuse to try setting him up with someone else, but he still felt it was too soon, the wounds too fresh. Isaac had left to France when he realized that he would not be forgiven for his betrayal. Derek could accept all of the man’s flaws, but this one, not so easily.

                                            - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kira looked away from where she was applying her mascara and looked at Braeden through the mirror. “Come on Braeden. You haven’t been out in months. Look, I know it’s hard, especially after what happened. But Ma-”

“Don’t. Say. His. Name.” Braeden growled.

“I’m sorry,” sighed the small girl. “I just think it’s time to do something other than work and school. You can’t live in fear forever Brae. _He_ is gone. And I want you to live your life again.” She moved to sit beside her friend on her ottoman.

“I don’t even have money to go clubbing, and what’s the point of that if I can’t buy drinks? I need to save up for the repairs on my bike.”

Kira rolled her eyes, she refused to listen to Braeden’s excuses. “I already told you that I would pay for you, as long as you agree to come. Besides, I know this isn’t really about the bike, you’ve been saving up for months. So, what’s really bothering you?”

Braeden sighed, knowing Kira would see right through any lie. “I-it’s just th-the last time, the last time I saw him before the..you know, was at that bar he always took me too. I planned to get absolutely trashed, but I saw him as soon as I walked in, and he tried following me when I walked out.

"Oh sweetie,” Kira laid her hand on Braeden’s shoulder. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“No, you’re right, it’s time to move on. He can’t get to me anymore.” Braeden moved to her side of the closet and started looking for an outfit, settling on dark skinny jeans with a tight burgundy v-neck. Time to leave her safety net.

                                           - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This was ridiculous. Erica had hassled him for weeks to come to this fucking club and the minute they arrived, she ditched him to go dry hump Boyd on the dance floor. Derek took another drink of his whiskey and looked around. He saw two girls walk in, one a small Asian girl that looked a little too excited, and a taller darker skinned girl, who looked like she’d rather eat her own hand off then be here.

Derek ignored them in favor of returning to his drink. The good thing about being forced to socialize was that Erica promised to pay for all of his drinks.

About 30 minutes went by before he got tired of watching desperate guys try to pick up drunk girls and he signaled the bartender to get him another whiskey, nearly downing the whole thing.

“A beer please, whichever. Actually, make that two.”

Derek turned to see who had fallen into the seat next to him, and saw that it was the girl from earlier, the one with the over-excited friend.

She must have felt his eyes on her because she turned to look at him, returning his gaze. “Can I help you?”

“No, no sorry. I didn’t mean to stare, you just seem kind of..bummed out?”

The girl thanked the bartender as he brought her beer over, before turning back to Derek. “I’m sorry, that was kinda mean. But you’re right about the being bummed part.”

“Can I ask why that is?” Derek drank what remained of his whiskey and once again signaled a bartender for another.

“My friend has been nagging me to go out for weeks and I finally gave in, but her boyfriend surprised her by coming home early and she left me here alone. I..had something happen, and I didn’t want to come here in the first place and I think I might actually get a panic attack soon.”

“Same here.” He gestured across the room to where Erica was practically having a threesome with Boyd and the bar. “That’s my friend Erica. She’s been complaining to me for _months_ to come to this stupid club, even though the last place I wanna be is here, and she’s humping her boyfriend, who just so happens to be my other friend, like she’s trying to get pregnant. Oh, and I guess I should introduce myself as well. I’m Derek,” He stuck his hand out for the girl to shake.

She accepted his hand with a tight smile. “Braeden. I almost feel bad for you. However, I’m stuck here for who knows how long so I win. My apartment is only two blocks from here so my ‘friend’ and I decided to walk, but now there’s no way I’m walking back alone.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Derek made her an offer. “Well Braeden, do you want to go get some coffee? Annie’s?”

Braeden perked up a bit at the mention of the diner. “Oh, um I-I don’t know..” Things with _him_ had started just like this. But she didn’t have that wary feeling with Derek.

“Hey no, I’m not trying to hit on you. Not that I wouldn’t if my life weren’t sad and miserable. It’s really just coffee, besides, if I’m going to make a new friend I’d like to do it someplace that doesn’t make me want to vomit” Derek reassured her. “Then if you want I can walk you home, even just to the doors of your building if that makes you more comfortable.”

“Well, it _is_ Annie’s,” Braeden smirked. “You’ve got a deal. I am kind of hungry and I get the feeling that the kitchen in this place is even dirtier than the bathrooms, and I would feel better if you just walk me to the building. I’ll flick my lights so you know I got in okay?”

“Sounds good. Come on,” Derek gestured towards the doors of the club.

The pair gathered their things and set off.


	2. Not This Time Around

Derek and Braeden made their way out of the club and set on their way to Annie’s. It was a short walk, about two blocks, but it was freezing. Braeden was really missing her winter coat right about now. Fuck Kira for convincing her to wear her thin leather jacket.

This didn’t fail to catch Derek’s attention, and he frowned when he looked over at Braeden and saw how bad she was shivering. He took off his pea coat and tried to hand it to the girl, who stared at the piece of clothing as if it had personally offended her.

“It’s not going to bite Braeden, just take it.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re freezing, and it’s not getting any warmer out here.”

Braeden frowned. “Well like you said, it’s freezing out here. If I take your coat then you’ll just be cold too.”

“Actually, I tend to run warmer than most people. My mom always used to get mad because I kept turning the heater down. Besides, I’m wearing this sweater too, and it’s surprisingly warm.” He held out the coat again, eying Braeden warily. Braeden stared at the coat for another minute and looked up at Derek before practically yanking the coat out of his hand and shrugging it on, mumbling a quick thanks.

The two continued on their way to the diner, the silence only mildly uncomfortable.

                                            - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After a few more minutes, they had arrived. Derek opened the door for Braeden, who took off Derek’s coat as soon as she stepped inside; Annie always kept the place warm during the winter.

Braeden walked over to a small table in the corner, the only table she ever sat at in the diner, while Derek followed after her.

“Braeden dear, is that you?” A small old lady walked out of the kitchen and headed straight for the table where the pair was sat. She wore a thin blue pantsuit and had long dark hair lightly tinted with gray.

“It’s me Annie. Haven’t seen you in a while,” Braeden replied as she laid Derek’s coat over the back of her chair.

“Well, you and Miss Kira need to stop by more often then, don’t ya? Just the other day, I bake five cherry pies and you two weren’t here to eat ‘em!” Annie patted Braeden lightly on the shoulder, who grinned widely in return.

Braeden took the menu that the old lady handed her, looking over her options as she replied,“ I’ll be sure to mention it Annie. After all, your pies are the best pies.”

Annie smiled shyly, opening her mouth to reply when her eyes went wide, gaze stuck on Derek. She whispered quietly, “Is it really you boy? Derek Hale?”

Derek’s head shot up, having been distracted by his own menu. His own eyes widened when he laid eyes on the old lady. He’d known that the diner was still open, but he had now idea that the owner was still around. Years ago she talked of nothing more than leaving Los Angeles for good. “Annie? Y-yeah it’s me, Derek.” He smiled, eyes only slightly watery at the sight of the elderly woman.

“Oh my dear boy!” Annie scooted closer to Derek and threw her arms around him, placing a big wet kiss on his cheek. The young man tried to hide a wince while Braeden watched on in amusement. “I still remember your favorite cookie! Oh you and that sister of yours always claimed them before they were even out of the oven. I’m going to go in the back and bake you a fresh batch right now. My, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you child.”

Derek reached out to place a hand on the woman’s arm, about to kindly refuse her, but she was already gone. He turned back to Braeden, who just had a slight smile on her face, one brow raised.

“I had no idea you were so popular around here. Am I really about to have dinner with _the_ Derek Hale?”

Derek rolled his eyes, throwing a napkin from the tabletop dispenser at her. “I’m not _the_ anything. My family has been well-known around here for the past few decades, and I haven’t been back in a while. To be honest, I half expected Annie’s daughter to be running this place.”

Braeden tilted her head back, seemingly curious. “Where’ve you been then? I haven’t heard of any Hales, and I moved to Beacon Hills almost two years ago.”

“I was in New York. This is my first time back in Beacon Hills in five years.”

“New York? Why move all the way across the country?”

Derek visibly stiffened at the second question. “Um, s-something happened..with my family. I guess things just got..really hard for me. I had previously turned down an internship at a law firm, and luckily for me, when I explained my change of heart, they accepted me without a second thought. I left Beacon Hills when I was 21 and didn’t look back, until now I guess. Some things happened in New York too though, and I guess it was enough for me to move back, permanently it looks like.” By the time he was done speaking, he had frayed the tape on the edge of the menu. He thumbed it silently, trying to fix it, but mainly avoiding further conversation.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence before Derek spoke again. “So what about you? What brought you to the wonderful town of Beacon Hills?”

“I moved out here with Kira, my friend that took me to that club.” Braeden looked down at her lap, trying to keep her voice from cracking.“ Things..got rough back home. I don’t have anyone else, and Kira convinced me that leaving would be the best thing for me. She was right.”

Both of them recognized and felt the change in the atmosphere. “Hm, well I don’t know about you, but I’m having a double bacon cheese omelet with an order of pancakes.” Derek flipped his menu closed and set it on the table, crossing his fingers and laying his hands down, looking at Braeden expectantly.

Braeden promptly ordered two double cheeseburgers with four orders of steak fries and a coke, all the while raising an eyebrow at Derek.

                                           - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Braeden arrived at the door to her apartment building, Derek right behind her. She turned to face him, not forgetting her request that he only go this far.

“I-I actually had a really great time tonight. Thank you, for saving me from having to see my horny rabbit of a friend.” Derek smiled softly, cheeks slight pink from the cold.

Braeden snorted lightly. “No problem. Thanks for the food, and lending me your jacket earlier.”

“You’re welcome. Hey, do you, do you think maybe we could do this again sometime?

"Um, I don’t..I don’t know if that’s a good i-”

“It doesn’t have to be a date. We can just be two friends hanging out, if you want that is. It’s just, I’m still not used to being back, and you’re the only person that hasn’t hounded me with questions or tried to force me back into society.”

“Okay, friends then. Hand me your phone.” Derek did as told and pulled his phone out of his pocket, handing it to the woman. Braeden took it and added her number to Derek’s contacts, handing the phone back to its owner. “I’ll see you around Derek. Thanks again for tonight.”

                                             - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Braeden sighed as she rested against the door to her empty apartment; Kira would no doubt be missing for a day or two.

 _Don’t Braeden. He’s not different. They’re all the same. He won’t be any good for you. No better than_ Him.

God, what was she thinking? One night and she was almost ready to forget everything about that day? She couldn’t, she had to remember, they’re all the same.

                                             - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Derek groaned as he threw himself on his bed. The silence in the apartment louder than usual.

 _Don’t even think about it Derek._ She _was nice too, remember? This one’s no different. You’ll love her and she’ll betray you._

He wanted to, god he wanted to know her, to know everything about her. It was clear she didn’t want the same, at least not yet. He couldn’t, he couldn’t feign blindness, not this time around.


	3. What Is This?

“Hey Braeden?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I borrow this coat? Mine’s in the washer and it’s not gonna dry in time for my date with Scott.”

Braeden turned away from her computer and looked at the doorway of her room. She saw Kira holding up Derek’s coat, the one she’d forgotten to give back apparently.

“Um, that’s not mine.”

Kira raised a brow disbelievingly. “Then whose is it? Because if it’s not mine and it’s not yours then one of our neighbors is really generous.”

Braeden turned back to her computer, suddenly very interested in the article about different uses for mayonnaise she’d clicked on. Who knew it removed grime?

“It’s this guy’s. I met him at the club the other night. It was cold out so he let me borrow it.”

Kira squealed slightly, making Braeden purse her lips angrily. “Did you meet someone?! It’s been two days! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s not like that. He just happened to be dragged to the same club and ditched by the people that did so. We started talking and then went to Annie’s. He didn’t even enter the building when he walked me home.”

Kira frowned. “Well did you at least get his number? Tell me you got the guy’s number.

Braeden rolled her eyes, nodding and feigning disinterest. ” Yes Kira, I got his number, but to be friends and nothing more. “

"Well, you should text your _friend_ and tell him to come get his coat,” she responded with a smirk. “After all, it is supposed to get cold this week. You wouldn’t want him to get cold now that California decided to give Beacon Hills all the water it has right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just borrow my blue sweater, it’s in the laundry basket, folded.”  
Kira nodded, smirk still on her face, and left the room.

The other woman turned back to her work, telling herself that she wasn’t nervous about texting Derek.

                                              - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 _KNOCK KNOCK_ “Derek!”

_Maybe if you ignore it, she’ll go away Derek._

  
_KNOCK KNOCK_  
Derek growled and threw his covers off. “What the hell do you want Erica?”

Said blonde finally entered the room, looking offended as if Derek had been the one to wake /her/ up 2 hours after he got home from 15 hour day. “What’s wrong with you?

“Nothing, I love being woken up with your screams.”

Erica smirked teasingly. “Damn right you do. I’m thinking of becoming a banshee.”

Derek rolled his eyes and sat up. “Well in that case I’m going to be a werewolf so I can rip out your voicebox.”

“You’d miss my voice. Who else would tell you when you’re being an idiot.”

Derek rolled his eyes and flopped back down. “ What do you want Erica?”

“Your gray pea coat. I’m going out with Boyd.”

The man furrowed his brows. “ And you need _my_ coat why exactly?”  
“Because it goes great with my outfit. _Duh_!” Erica gestured to herself. She had on a short, white, slim-fitting dress and a long gray necklace. According to Erica, the outfit could only be completed with Derek’s coat now that Beacon Hills decided to drown its residents in rain.

“I don’t have it.”

“Well where is it?”

“With the girl I let borrow it the other night.”

Erica smiled. Eyes going wide. “ Derek Hale! Did you hook up with someone at the club?!”

The man in question rolled his eyes. “No! I just met this girl at the bar after you ditched me to duck Boyd on the dance floor. She’d been ditched too and we decided to go to Annie’s. After that I walked her to the door of her apartment building.”

The blonde rolled her eyes disbelievingly. “Are you _sure_ that’s all that happened?”

“Yes Erica. Nothing else happened.”

“Did you at least this girl’s number?”

“Her name is Braeden, and yes, but not for what you’re thinking. We’re _friends_.”

“Hmm. Well tell _Braeden_ I need your coat.”

“Whatever. Now leave.”

                                             - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Should she call? Should she text? What if he’s at work and can’t take calls? Or he never reads his text messages?

“Ugh, get it together Braeden. This is just a guy you met the other night. The most intimate thing that happened is you borrowing his coat. Great, now I’m talking to myself.”

Braeden was shocked at her own behavior. She was almost..giddy at the thought of seeing Derek again. They’d only met two days ago and hadn’t seen or talked to each other since. This wasn’t good. She’d met the guy two days ago and every time she thought of him her stomach did flips. It was too soon. What if Derek was like _him_? He had been nice too. He had made her feel special.

She had to be cautious. What she needed was a friend, nothing more. Not yet.

Braeden reached for her phone as she decided to call Derek so he could come pick up his coat.

She found his number and pressed talk, waiting for him to answer. 

_“Hello?”_

“Derek?”

_“Braeden?”_

“Yeah, hey. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come get your coat? Now that it’s raining and everything it’s getting colder.”

_“Um yeah, that sounds good. Actually, I was just about to head out and grab something to eat. You want to meet somewhere? My treat.”_

Braeden hesitated. On one hand she knew she shouldn’t, but on the other she wanted nothing more than to spend time with Derek. “I’d love to. Where were you thinking of going?”

_“Joe’s? You know it?”_

Braeden nodded, before she remembered that Derek couldn’t actually see her. “Yeah, I’ll see you there at about,” she turned to look at her clock, “2?”

_“Okay, I’ll see you there. Bye.”_

“Bye.” Braeden hung up and sighed, looking around her room. She had a pile of clean laundry that needed to be put away and a pile of dirty laundry that needed to be washed. She still had three hours before she needed to meet Derek so she got to cleaning, trying to distract herself from the _Is it a date?_ mind game that might follow.

                                             - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Did he have a date with Braeden? Did he ask her out without realizing? Derek subtly sniffed his underarm. _If this is a date, I really need to shower._

20 minutes later Derek was showered and ready to go..2.5 hours before he needed to be. In those 20 minutes he had realized that his plans with Braeden were most certainly not a date. Even if the girl hadn’t said the words directly, it was clear that she wasn’t looking for anything even remotely romantic. Whether that was because of Derek or something else, he didn’t know, but he’d respect her wishes all the same.

Derek himself shouldn’t be so hung up on a girl he had only met a couple of days prior. After what happened with Isaac and her, he subconsciously knew that he wasn’t ready for a relationship. He didn’t know if he’d be able to trust anyone for a while, and that was the one thing a relationship needed to survive.

Even so, he found that his thoughts kept wandering to Braeden for whatever reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! For those of you who don’t know, I’ll be updating this story weekly from now on, every Friday:)
> 
> If ever there isn't a chapter up by 6 pm MDT, check my tumblr draeisbae for an update.


	4. Story Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Braeden meets Derek for lunch, she finds out some interesting things about the man.

It was just after 2 when Braeden walked through the doors of Joe’s. It was a quaint little restaurant that had the look of a cafe. It was well frequented by college students, since they ran specials throughout the traditional school year period.

Braeden stood just inside the door as she looked around for Derek. He’d texted her a few minutes ago that she was already there. She soon found him at a small corner table towards the back of the room, next to the service counter.

When she walked over, Derek looked up from the menu he was holding and smiled in greeting. “Hey, you made it!”

“Hey,” Braeden sat down, feeling the awkward tension, or maybe it was just her. “I, uh, I left your jacket in my car. I figured I’d just give it to you after we ate, so you don’t have to hold it awkwardly in your lap or something.”

Derek nodded slowly, seeming to feel the same awkwardness as Braeden. “That’s fine. Hey, let me get you a menu.” He signaled for a server and a young girl, about 18, came by. 

“What do you want Derek?”

“A menu Cora. And don’t be so rude, there’s a guest here.”

“There’s guests everywhere Derek, this is a fucking restaurant.”

Derek rolled his eyes at the waitress. “Just get me the menu, okay? Please.”

The waitress nodded and walked away, clearly unamused.

Braeden raised a brow when Derek turned back to her, smiling apologetically. “I’ve never been here before. Are the waitstaff always so..cranky?”

The man let out a loud chuckle and shook his head. “She’s my little sister. My family owns the place.”

Dropping her head slightly, Braeden looked at Derek judgmentally. “You brought me to your own restaurant? Cheap much?”

Derek snorted and shook his head again. “It’s not _my_ restaurant. My grandparents opened it when they first moved to Beacon Hills. They passed it on to my mom and she runs it with my dad. My two sisters, Cora, who you just met, and Laura help out. Some of my old college buddies work here too.”

“So basically you’re the only person you’ve ever known that’s not involved with this place?”

The man let out a small laugh and crossed his arms over the table. “I used to work here too. It was the only job I ever had before I became a lawyer. My parents have always planned on leaving this place to my sisters and I. You can imagine how pissed they were when they found out I wouldn’t stay in the family business.”

“And why the name Joe’s?”

“My grandfather had a brother named Joe. He passed away when they were young. The story goes that my great-uncle had always wanted to open a restaurant, and had asked my grandpa to run it. When he ran away, my grandpa decided to open it, and my grandma joined him when they got married.”

Braeden smiled brightly. “That’s sweet. But I have to ask, what made you want to be a lawyer instead of running the restaurant?” She looked around her and gestured at the other patrons. “Aside from your sister’s glowing personality, this doesn’t seem half bad.”

It was Derek’s turn to smile, though somewhat grimly. “My uncle Peter..my uncle dated a woman, when I was in middle school. It was great, they were great. My uncle proposed to her when I was in 8th grade and halfway through my freshman year they were married. By sophomore year, they had a daughter. She changed after that. The doctors said it was Baby Blues. She was a first-time mother and hadn’t yet adjusted to all the changes.”

Derek took a deep breath and looked down at his hands. They were shaking badly and he looked up at Braeden, who clearly hadn’t noticed. He interlocked his fingers to hide it more.

“But my uncle said she was different. She was angry all the time and she refused to touch the baby. He would come home and she’d be ranting angrily about all of us. One night, she was suddenly fine again. Peter came over for dinner and talked about how things were great. Kate had decided to stay home with the baby for some quality bonding time. Right as he was about to leave, we all started smelling smoke, it was coming from outside.”

Looking up, Derek saw Braeden’s eyebrows furrow. She was looking at some spot behind him, but he knew she was listening.

“My mom opened the door and there were flames right outside of it. Some of the other went to the other entrances of the house and saw the same thing. The fire was all around the house and was spreading fast. There was, uh, bars, over the windows. The house was in our family for generations and my great great grandfather was kind of paranoid. He had installed a security system that would prevent anyone from getting in, dropping bars over all entrances. The problem was..” he trailed of suddenly.

“The entrances were also exits,” Braeden finished.

Derek nodded and continued his story. “Whoever had started the fire knew the house inside and out. We got out, thankfully. My dad was able to raise the bars before anyone got hurt. The house was a total loss though. After the fire department and the cops left, some of us went to a hotel. Since almost my whole family was living in our house, two of my uncles took their families to a hotel, while my aunt took her family to stay with her husband. We went to stay with Peter. When we got to his house, there was a note from Kate. She admitted that she’d started the fire. She also said she’d taken the baby and wasn’t coming back. Peter was devastated.”

Braeden pursed her as she watched Derek, noting the empty look in his eyes. She was just about to cut him off, tell him that he didn’t have to continue, when he spoke again.

“They found her car a week later. She’d gotten in an accident and neither her nor the baby survived.”

The woman gasped, horrified by what she’d just heard. “Oh my god, Derek. That’s horrible. “

Derek nodded, lips curled into his mouth. Trying to lighten the heavy mood, he smiled tightly and waved the menu he’d been holding. “How about we lighten things up with some food?” He handed the menu to Braeden who took it warily. “Take your pick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s another chapter! Hope you like it:) Also, in fear that this story will end up being 200 chapters, I’ve decided to start broadly outlining before each chapter. I usually don’t plan my fics, but since this is definitely not one of my usual one-shots, I thought this would be much easier with some planning.


	5. Don't Want That

Noticing that Derek was clearly looking for a subject change, Braeden went ahead and ordered when the waitress, not Cora this time, came back. She ordered a BLT and a coke while Derek ordered a chicken sandwich with a bag of chips and water.

“So what was it like, working here?”

Derek shrugged, playing with the napkin holder in the center of the table. “It was pretty boring actually. Don’t get me wrong, I loved working with my family, but the dynamic wasn’t different. It wasn’t like working anywhere else. It was just like being at home, following all the same rules while simultaneously taking peoples’ orders.”

“Sounds boring.”

“It was, for the most part. Up until junior year of high school. Three kids applied and got the job. Erica, Boyd, and Isaac.”

Braeden frowned, tilting her head in thought. “Why does the first name sound familiar?”

“Erica was my friend at the club the night we met.”

“Ahh, the one humping her boyfriend to get pregnant?”

Derek belted out a loud laugh, surprised that Braeden had remembered what he said. “That’s the one. Boyd was her boyfriend.”

Braeden hmmed to show she was paying attention. “And Isaac?”

Freezing slightly, Derek answered the question tensely, “An old friend. We all moved out to school together a few years later. After we graduated, I’d started Pre-Law at UC Berkeley. The others weren’t sure what they wanted to study, and Isaac had barely gotten away from his abusive father. They decided to keep working here in the meantime. Shortly before I graduated from college I got the offer for that internship I told you about in New York. They offered to pay for my graduate school. I’d turned it down, but after the fire I needed to leave Beacon Hills.” Derek tapped his fingers on the napkin holder, staring at his reflection. “Erica, Boyd, and Isaac decided to come with me. So I started grad school at 22, Boyd started culinary school, Erica got into FIT, and Isaac started at NYU, working towards becoming a veterinary assistant. What about you?”

It took a second for Braeden to realize that she’d been asked a question. “What? Oh, um, I’m from everywhere really, grew up in the foster system. I ended up at UCLA, got a degree in business management. I don’t really know what I want to do with that besides the obvious, run a business. I met my roommate, Kira, during my second year. We moved in together at the start of our second semester. Just before we graduated,” she tensed, debating whether to tell Derek or keep it to herself, ultimately choosing the latter, “some things went down. Kira decided that we should move here. She works at the local library, reviewing and revising Beacon Hills’ history. Her boyfriend Scott is actually a veterinarian. Maybe he’ll work with Isaac some day.”

Derek cleared his throat and nodded distractedly. “Yeah, Maybe.”

“Hey so, why’d you come back exactly? From what you’ve told me, it sounds like you had a pretty great life out in New York. Did your friends come back too?”

Derek had never been more tense in his life. There was tension running all through his shoulders. You could cut through the tension with a knife. Did he mention he was tense?

Noticing said tension, Braeden reached her hand out in an attempt to soothe him. “Hey, no. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

“No, no it’s fine.” Derek stared down at his shoes as he thought of where to start. “A few months ago, it was my 2 year anniversary with my girlfriend, Jennifer. I’d had to work late at the office where I was interning, so we’d moved our plans around, changed everything to the next day. I still wanted to see her though, so I went to her apartment.”

“What happened when you got there?”

Clearing his throat, Derek continued his story. “I found her in bed. With Isaac.”

Braeden’s eyes widened in surprise, stunned at the revelation. “Your girlfriend cheated on your anniversary?”

Derek nodded, lips curled tight. “With my best friend.”

“What happened after?”

“Isaac ran. Left to France when he realized I wouldn’t be forgiving him anytime soon.”

“And Jennifer?”

Scoffing, Derek shook his head, clearly remembering exactly what Jennifer had done. “She smirked the entire time. Isaac was shaking and whiter than I’d ever seen him, but not her. It was like she was..proud. Like she’d pulled one over on me. I guess she had.”

“That’s horrible Derek. How could she do that to you? And Isaac, after you’d been friends for so long.”

Looking down at the table, Derek clasped his hands together in front of him. “I almost didn’t blame him you know? Isaac..his life hadn’t been good at home. His older brother had died, in the army. His mom had died giving birth to him and his father always blamed him for that. For years, that man did horrible things to him. He used to lock him in an old freezer for hours. Isaac played lacrosse so no one ever suspected the bruises he had would be from anything else.”

Braeden frowned. Was Derek talking to her or himself? Was he trying to justify his friend’s actions?

“It was easy to convince myself he wasn’t at fault. How could I blame him for taking advantage of the positive attention he was getting? Erica refused to listen when I tried to excuse him. She said even if he did it just to be happy and feel good, it didn’t give him the right to do it with my girlfriend. With some that had made _me_ happy.”

“Erica sounds like a smart woman.”

Derek smiled to himself, seemingly agreeing with the statement. “Yeah, she is. She’s the devil in heels, but I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“So what happened after?”

“Boyd, Erica, and I moved back a month later. It’s been almost 3 months that I’ve been back. I’m surprised I never ran into you before. Beacon Hills isn’t exactly known for its large size.”

Braeden shrugged. “I haven’t really gotten out much. What about you? What are you going to do now?”

It was Derek’s turn to shrug. He checked the time on his watch, hoping that their food wouldn’t take much longer than it already had. He wasn’t in the mood for anymore story time. “I need more experience actually working as a full-time lawyer, but I want to open my own firm here in town. Maybe you can help me run it, business manager,” he joked.

“Yeah, right. I don’t know enough about you. What if you’re a shitty lawyer?”

Feigning hurt, Derek clutched his chest dramatically. “Ouch, that hurt Braeden! What will I do now that-”

Derek was cut off by an angry Cora setting their food down in front of them none too gently.

“That stupid kid fucked up your orders, had to re-do them. It’s the third time today. We’ve only been open 4 hours.” She smirked wildly, “He almost shit his pants when I told him the food was for the owner’s son.” The gleam in her eye was almost frightening, almost.

Derek frowned and scolded his little sister, “Cora, please don’t mess with that kid. The last time you did something like that, the kid _actually_ shit themselves. You can still see the stain if you look closely enough.”

The younger woman rolled her eyes, pouting. “You never let me have any fun. Whatever, just eat your food, and tip me well. At least pretend you’re not a cheapskate in front of your girlfriend.” She walked away, leaving Derek to open and close his mouth like a fish.

He turned to Braeden, who was trying to hide a smile in her hands. There was a red tint going down his neck. “She was..she was just joking.”

“Relax Derek, it’s fine,” she laughed.

“No, it’s..I know you don’t want that. I don’t want you to think that everything I’ve done is part of some elaborate scheme to get you to fall for me, or that I have any other ulterior motive.”

“Do you?”

Derek snapped his head up from where he’d been playing with the straw of his drink. “What?”

Braeden picked at her fries, not willing to look up at him. “You said you know I don’t want that. Does that mean you do?”

Crossing his arms, Derek leaned on the table, staring at his plate. “I don’t know. I shouldn’t, but after everything that’s happened, I finally feel okay when I’m with you.” He chanced a look up at her, noting that a small, but noticeable smile graced her face.

“I feel the same way, but you don’t know me yet. What happened to me..I wish I’d only been cheated on.” She looked up at him, worrying at her lip with her teeth. “I can’t promise you anything, but what happens, happens.”

Derek nodded, feeling better after her words. He picked up his sandwich and they began eating, talking about random topics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s it for chapter 5! I hope you like it! Now you know what happened with Isaac and Derek! Any guesses for what exactly happened with Braeden and HIM? Send guesses into my ask box at draeisbae.tumblr! The first person who guesses right will start getting sneak peeks of every chapter!
> 
> P.S. Sorry for the lateness! For those of you who didn't check my tumblr, my internet connection was down all day yesterday and just started working again about an hour ago!


	6. Distractions

Three hours after Derek and Braeden met at the diner, they parted ways, their last topic of conversation still on both their minds.

Derek was currently sitting on the couch in his living room nursing a beer, the day’s events running through his head. In the two years he’d been with Jennifer he’d never told her even half of what he’d told Braeden at the diner. She had no idea that his whole family had almost burned alive, or that his uncle’s crazy wife had been responsible. She didn’t know about Joe’s or its history. In fact, Jennifer had never even met his family. Always said she didn’t see the point. How was she supposed to go to a town she’d never visited to meet a bunch of people for the first time? What if she didn’t get along with one of his relatives, was she just supposed to play nice?

Thinking about his ex-girlfriend seemed to be a good way to distract himself from thinking of all the ways Braeden was better for him.

                                                 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Braeden walked into her room, gently squeezing her wet hair with a towel. In the middle of getting clothes from her dresser, she paused and turned to sit on her bed. She thought back to what had happened at the diner. She learned surprising things about Derek, and the rest of the Hale family. The one thing she really couldn’t stop thinking about though..was Derek’s admission, if it could even be called that. Derek said exactly what she’d been thinking. Braeden felt good when she was with the man, safe. But she’d felt safe with _HIM_ too. He’d also made her happy..and now? Now it was rare that she slept through the night without having a nightmare about that night.

Braeden needed time. She needed time before she stopped looking over her shoulder. She wasn’t ready to give Derek what he needed, but she couldn’t wait until she was.

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Derek attempted to shrug things off as he dumped the last bit of his beer down the sink. He had a family dinner at his parents’ house in a few hours and he was in charge of dessert. His mom had asked him to make her favorite cookies, butter pecan. Though he’d studied law, Derek was also an amazing baker. Learning from his grandma at the age 5 had helped with that.

He got to baking, the familiar movements taking his mind off of Braeden.

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Shaking away her thoughts, Braeden got dressed and began researching on her laptop. She was currently working at her uncle Deaton’s-well,pseudo-uncle-animal clinic, taking care of all the paper work and data for the clinic. She couldn’t stay there forever though. Her degree had been expensive, and she had to put it to good use. It seemed like there were no businesses in need of her though. Maybe she’d have to push Derek to open his firm sooner rather than later.

“Braeden!” Kira had arrived home and ran straight into Braeden’s room, crying. “I think Scott’s cheating on me.”

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

At the Hale house, the whole family was sat down for a late dinner.

“Derek, have you met anyone recently?”

The man in question dropped his fork on his plate, preparing himself to have the same conversation for the millionth time. “No mom, I haven’t. I’ve already told you, I’m not looking. I’m perfectly fine on my own. Not everyone needs to have a great love story like that of Talia and Robert Hale. Besides, my main focus is my career.”

“Oh honey. I just want you to be happy! You know, Nastasia’s daughter just came back from college. She’s a very lovel-”

“So tell me son,” cut in Derek’s father, trying to protect the cutlery that Derek was holding from being bent beyond repair, “what are you doing now?”

“I have an interview. On Monday. For a small firm that just settled in town. If I get the job, I’ll be working in a sort of partnership with the BHPD. The Sheriff thinks some lawyers tried to scheme in some recent cases. His son Stiles, thinks with the help of a respectful firm, they can get the criminals that should’ve been charged back in court.”

“And what happened to opening your own firm? That is still the plan is it not?”

Nodding, Derek wiped his mouth with his napkin before answering. “It is, but I want to get more experience first. With all that happens in this town, people need good lawyers. If I open a firm now, with almost no experience working at an actual firm, no one’s going to take me seriously just because I’m a Hale. I'll be a joke.”

“Have you talked to Isaac?”

Derek turned to Cora, sitting a few chairs down on the other side of the table. The room grew quiet as the others looked between the siblings. No one had mentioned Isaac after the night of Derek’s anniversary.

Clearing his throat, Derek responded. “He uh-he sent Erica and Boyd a postcard a few weeks ago. Apparently he’s in England now.”

“You need to talk to him,” spoke Cora sharply. “He belongs here in Beacon Hills, with us.”

Throwing his napkin down on the table with anger, Derek rolled his eyes as he looked at his sister. “I didn’t send him to France, or England, or wherever the hell he decides to go next. And I’m certainly not keeping him there. If Isaac wants to run away from his problems then that’s his issue. I can’t be blamed because he won’t face the consequences of his actions.

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Back at Kira and Braeden’s apartment, the former continued to cry fiercely. Braeden closed her laptop and set it on her nightstand quickly. As soon as it was out of the way, her friend climbed onto her bed and laid her head on her stomach, tears showing no sign of stopping.

“What are you talking about? What happened?”

“I can’t take it anymore Braeden, I can’t,” cried Kira.

Running her hands through the girl’s hair, Braeden tried her best to sooth her. “Kira, I need you to talk to me. What. Happened.”

Wiping her face, Kira sat up, looking at her roommate with bloodshot eyes. “He-he always leaves the room to take calls. As soon as the phone rings he gets this panicked look in his eyes and walks out to answer. I tried to sneak up on him yesterday and I just kept hearing him whisper ‘She can’t know. I can’t tell her, not yet’. He cancels dates at the last minute, always says that something came up. We were gonna try that new thai place the other day, he said he wasn’t going to eat all day so he could try everything on the menu. As soon as i walked into the place he called, said he couldn’t make it, because there was an emergency at the clinic. I decided to get takeout and surprise him with it there. When I got to the clinic, Deaton said Scott had been off for the past two days. Since you’d gotten ahead on your work and weren’t there either, I had no way of checking with you. And tonight was our anniversary. We always go to the same restaurant from our first date for dinner. He didn’t show up. Not even a text to say he was running late, or wouldn’t make it. I waited for an hour, hoping it was just traffic.”

By the time she was done talking, Kira could barely get a word out through her sobs. She fell asleep with her head in Braeden’s lap, tears drying on her cheeks. Braden stayed up, trying to think of a logical explanation for what she’d just heard. She couldn’t believe that Scott was cheating on Kira. Every time she was near him, his eyes widened, just like they had the first time he saw her, when she and Braeden had gone to the clinic to talk to Deaton after moving to town. When they were at the clinic together, Scott did nothing more than ask about Kira, even though he’d see her at the end of his shift.

She had to talk to Scott. Either her best friend is heart-broken over a misunderstanding, or she might have to commit murder for the first time. Braeden moved Kira over to the other side of the bed, taking her shoes off. Once her roommate was covered up, Braeden joined her under the covers, turning the lamp off and falling asleep fairly quickly. The day’s events had worn her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s chapter 6! I wanted to focus more on the other characters that were introduced last chapter. Though this is a Draeden fic, I don’t want them to be the sole focus of the story. It’s important to see how the things going on in their lives might affect the development of their relationship. As always, let me know what you think!:)


	7. Oh Shit

“Cora seems to think I need to reach out to Isaac.”

Derek was at Erica and Boyd’s apartment for a late lunch. The blonde tensed and looked at him as she handed him his plate before sitting down.

She cleared his throat before acknowledging him, “Maybe she’s right. You can’t just keep ignoring him Derek.”

Suddenly angry, Derek fisted his hands under the table. He knew he couldn’t take out his anger on Erica, she was just trying to help after all. “I’m not doing anything, especially not ignoring him. If Isaac isn’t mature enough to face any possible consequences for what he did, that’s fine with me, but I’m not gonna run after him.”

“You shouldn’t continue hating him for what he did,” chimed in Boyd.

Shaking his head in disagreement, Derek replied quickly. “I never hated him. I was angry, really angry, for a long time..but I never hated him.”

Wiping her hands on her napkin, Erica asked, “Didn’t you say things were bad with Jennifer in the end anyway?”

Derek poked at his spaghetti with his fork. “Well, yeah, but that doesn’t make it okay. Even if we were about to break up, Jennifer was still my girlfriend and Isaac was still my best friend.”

Erica and Boyd looked at each other subtly. They both knew they’d have to tell Derek soon. If they let him be surprised, things had the possibility of getting really ugly really soon.

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Hey, can you update Mr. Flufflesnuffer’s e-file and print a new paper copy for the file cabinet?”

Scott handed Braeden a file covered in sticky notes with new information. Clipped to the top of the file was a small picture of a cat that resembled Hermione Granger..if she got electrocuted.

“Yeah, sure.”

Braeden quickly updated the file on her computer and went to stand in front of the printer, waiting for the paper copy to print. Looking around the small “lobby” of the clinic, her eyes landed on Scott once again, who was staring at his phone anxiously. 

Remembering her past conversation with Kira, she decided now was as good a time as ever to try and get something out of Scott. “Expecting a call?”

The vet looked up and shook his head sheepishly. “A reply actually. I texted Kira earlier and I’ve been waiting all day, but she hasn’t texted back. She won’t answer my calls either”

Braeden frowned at that. Kira was always the quickest person to reply that she’d ever met. The girl could practically _feel_ when she got a call or text, even if her phone was off.

“Can you call her? Maybe it’s just me she won’t answer to. Can you see if she’s okay?”

Nodding, Braeden grabbed a freshly printed file and moved over to her desk again. Before she called Kira she asked, “You want me to give her a message if she picks up?”

Scott nodded as he grabbed the next incoming file, this one for a dog that ate his owner’s homework. He called the name of the animal and instructed its owner to go to a room so he could start the appointment. “Remind her that we have reservations at the Cheesecake Factory tonight. I’ll pick her up at 6 so we can make the drive. There might be traffic and it’s already long enough.” He followed his patient into the back as Braeden finally called Kira.

_“Hello?”_

“Kira?”

_“Yes..what’s wrong Braeden?”_

“What’s wrong? You’ve been ignoring Scott all day, and suddenly you’re answering calls?”

_“I just, I needed space. Some time to myself so I don’t blurt out something I shouldn’t when I see him.”_

“Well, you better get over that need. Scott’s picking you up at 6 to head to The Cheesecake Factory.”

_“Okay.”_

Braeden noticed the tense tone in the response and quickly said goodbye, hanging up.

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was now close to 10 and Derek had just barely left Boyd and Erica’s apartment. He was getting closer to his apartment complex, just a few blocks away, when he noticed a vaguely familiar shape locking up at Deaton’s animal clinic. He stopped at a sign, still trying to place the figure, when they walked under a street lamp. Just as he started driving again, he saw that it was Braeden. Pulling to a stop along the curb just ahead of her, he rolled down the passenger window and called out to her.

Warily, Braeden stepped up next to the car. She visibly relaxed when she recognized who it was. 

“Get in.”

Braeden quickly listened when she felt drops of water hit her head. Just as she put her seatbelt on, the skies seemed to open up and rain came pouring down at a steady pace. 

“What were you doing out so late?” asked Derek as he pulled back out onto the road.

“Um, I wasn’t expecting to be. With the rent for mine and Kira’s apartment, I don’t have money for a car. I usually just walk to my uncle’s clinic since it’s not too far away, and I usually leave much earlier.”

“So what was different today?”

“My computer decided to break. I had to call a technician to come bring me a new one, install it, and do a hard drive transfer. Apparently the woman was a little grumpy and decided to take her time. Deaton nearly had an aneurysm when he realized I would have to be the one to lock up.”

Derek chuckled quietly as he made a left turn. 

“And how about you? What did you do on this fine Friday night?”

The man snorted at the dramatic flair in her words. “Went to Boyd and Erica’s for a late lunch. Then sat through an hour of Erica modeling lingerie for her anniversary trip with Boyd. And lastly, got tricked into making raspberry cheesecake bars for a late dessert.”

Braeden raised her eyebrows at the mention of lingerie. “Boyd was okay with you seeing his girlfriend in lingerie?”

Nodding, Derek smirked as he carefully changed lanes. “Boyd knows he has nothing to worry about. Don’t get me wrong, Erica’s a beautiful woman, but she’s like my sister. If I liked her any less, I’d think I was gay.”

“Are you?” she asked teasingly.

“If I was into men, I would’ve offered a ride to One-eyed Steve instead of you,” he laughed.

“Oh ho ho! So if I start smelling like old beans, can I get rides more often?”

Just as he pulled up to Braeden’s building, he leaned over and sniffed jokingly. “Nah, I think I prefer the smell of printer ink.”

Braeden frowned at the statement and looked down at her shirt and saw a dark stain visible in the light of a street lamp. “The printer broke too,” she said disappointed. 

Instead of answering, Derek wrote his number on a clean napkin he had in the compartment of his door, handing it to Braeden. “You can get a ride whenever you need one.”

Smiling gratefully, Braeden took the number and put it in her coat pocket. “Thanks Derek, really.” Without thinking, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Derek watched her walk into her building safely.

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Braeden was digging through her purse for her keys while she waited for the elevator to come down, when she froze, seemingly remembering what she’d just done.

“Oh shit.”

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Watching for oncoming cars, Derek put his car and drive and waited for the opportunity to drive on, when he froze, realizing what just happened.

“Oh shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go! Any guesses on what Erica and Boyd have to tell Derek?
> 
> Starting next chapter, we’ll be focusing a bit more on the people in Derek and Braeden’s lives. There will be scenes without either one in them, but don't worry, these scenes won't take over the Draeden storyline.


	8. New Beginnings and Fresh Heartbreaks

**One Week Later**

Braeden stared at her phone screen, open to her contacts with Derek’s number staring back at her. It had been a week since Derek had given her a ride home from the animal clinic and they still hadn’t spoken about their conversation at the diner. 

They’d hung out a few times since then. They’d had breakfast at Joe’s, gone to the local bar for drinks after Derek had a particularly stressful day, but they’d both been relatively busy. The secretary that worked at the clinic when Braeden didn’t, had quit and now Braeden was left working from open to close every day the clinic was open. Derek had also finally gotten an internship with the firm that had come into Beacon Hills.

Truth be told, Braeden wasn’t even sure they should have a talk at all. For the past week, she’d been repeating the same phrases to herself over and over. She shouldn’t be with him. They’d only known each other a little over 2 weeks. And her personal favorite, what was so damn different about _this_ guy?

                                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For the past 10 minutes, Derek had been typing out and deleting a text to Braeden. He’s been sitting on his couch debating whether he should text anything at all for the past 30 minutes. It had been about two weeks since the night they had met at the club. They’d hung out a few times, but Derek was starting to wonder how he could continue to spend time with her without directly asking her out or forcing her to meet his friends. Well, he obviously knew that they could hang out. Platonic relationships weren’t forbidden, but he knew they could only pretend he didn’t feel _something_ for Braeden for so long.

He finally deleted the draft he’d been working on and put his phone down. Erica promised to wake him up early tomorrow for some ungodly reason and it was getting late.

                                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next day found Erica walking into the grocery store and lugging an angry Derek behind her.

“Mind telling me why you signed _me_ up to open a bakery for _your_ church?” he asked angrily.

“Oh please, it’s hardly enough for an entire bakery,” she waved him off.

“You volunteered me to bake 5 different kinds of cookies and 4 different kinds of cupcakes, several hundred of each,” he said incredulously.

“Look,” she swiveled on the points of her stilettos and turned to face him, “I am sick of those stupid PTA moms treating me like a good for nothing slut.”

“It might have something to do with your too small corsets and hooker heels,” he joked, shutting up when Erica glared at him.

“My grandmother volunteered at that church for 30 years. I have to live up to her reputation and if that means that you’re going to bake a thousand cupcakes and cookies so I can pass them off as mine then that’s what’s going to happen damn it!” she said crazily.

Derek suddenly had the urge to hold his hands up and back away slowly. Instead, he went ahead and started looking at different decorations for his cupcakes. If Erica wanted to show up snooty PTA moms then he was going to make the best-looking cupcakes Beacon Hills had ever seen.

                                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Derek was currently debating as to whether he should buy frosting or make his own. He turned around to ask Erica for her opinion when he smacked someone in the arm with a can of cream cheese frosting.

“Oh my god I’m so sor-oh, hey Braeden!”

Braeden rubbed her arm, but smiled at the man. “Hey, do you normally hit people in grocery stores?”

Derek looked down in a bad attempt to hide his blush. Thankfully Erica was none the wiser to what was happening at the other end of the aisle. “Uh ha, no not usually. Do you usually get him by people in grocery stores?”

“Not usually,” she repeated his words. “I’m planning on eating a can of frosting by myself since Kira ditched our movie night for a last minute date with Scott.”

Unbeknownst to either one of them, Erica had made her way over to them and was outright beaming. She watched as Derek blushed and gave Braeden a once-over, determining that she must be the girl Derek had met at the club weeks ago. Deciding that Derek needed a little push to make a move, she pulled out her phone and feigned a shocked expression.

“Oh no! Derek I have to get home right now! The dog broke Boyd’s grandma’s vase and his parents are coming over for dinner,” she said while running away as fast as her 6-inch heels would carry her.

Derek furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as Erica made her way down the aisle. “You don’t have a dog! And you brought me here, how am I supposed to get home?!” 

“Braeden won’t mind taking you! Right Braeden?” she spoke as she reached the end of the aisle. 

“Wha-no-she can’t,” he wavered off.

“I don’t mind.”

“Um, I’m supposed to bake tonight. Wanna add some cupcake to your frosting?”

“Sure,” Braeden nodded.

                                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Derek and Braeden walked into the his apartment and set down their grocery bags on the island. 

“Nice place,” she commented as she began unpacking everything they’d bought.

“Thanks. It’s smaller than my place back in New York, but it’s my own. It feels good to not share it with anyone.”

“I’ve always had to share a place with someone. Foster families, college roommates, Kira. Anyway, what are we starting with?”

“We are starting with red velvet cupcakes. Can you measure out the dry ingredients? I’ll do the rest and we can get started on those. We’ll do the frosting while they’re baking.”

“Sure.”

The pair moved around in Derek’s kitchen comfortably, working together in a productive manner with little verbal communication. Derek couldn’t help but watch Braeden when she was turned away, trying to decide if he should touch on their previous conversation or not.

                                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kira was sitting in restaurant trying to ignore the pitying looks from the waitstaff. Scott had called her shortly before his shift at the animal clinic was over and invited her out to dinner. He told her that he would make the reservations for 7:30 and would be there on time to join her. 

She’d had to cancel on her weekly movie night with Braeden, but luckily her friend had been understanding and encouraged her to go out. Kira was seriously regretting her decision now. It was reaching close to 8:15 and there was still no sign of Scott. Just as she was getting up, blinking away the wetness in her eyes, Scott came running through the door. 

“I’m here! I’m here!”

Kira ignored him and made her way out of the restaurant, speeding up when she heard him follow.

“Hey Kira where are you going? We’re supposed to have dinner!”

“Just take me home Scott.”

“But what about-”

“Take me home Scott!”

“Okay! Let’s go.” He directed them over to his car and suddenly Kira deeply regretted walking to the restaurant.

They got to her and Braeden’s apartment and Scott trailed after her as she stormed in.

“Why didn’t you want to stay at the restaurant? We still had time before they tried to give away our table,” he teased.

Kira turned to face him as she finally allowed her tears to flow freely. “I can’t-I can’t do this anymore Scott.”

Scott frowned as he looked at his girlfriend warily. “Can’t do what?” No response. “Can’t do what Kira?”

“This,” she cried, “us!”

“What are you saying?” he asked, voice breaking.

“I’m saying I’m done,” she whispered.

“Wh-why?”

“Because Scott. For the past 2 months you’ve been gone. You’re always late for our dates. Sometimes you just don’t show up at all and then offer zero explanation. You leave the room to take calls and whisper the entire time. I want to hope that I don’t actually know what you’re hiding, but I can’t do this anymore.”

“Kira I’m not-,” he trailed off. He thought of whether or not he should tell Kira what was actually going on or not. He wanted to..but either way she was right. He’d neglected her and now he was paying the price.

“Please go Scott.” 

“Okay, if that’s what you want, I’ll go. When you’re ready to talk about things, I’ll be waiting.” He quickly walked over to the door and walked out, slamming it behind him. 

As soon as he was gone, Kira’s tears started flowing and she kneeled down next to the couch, desperately wishing she had stayed in.

                                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Unaware of what was going on in her apartment, Braeden was still with Derek, making good progress with their baking adventure. They’d managed to finish almost everything in the past few hours and now only had one last batch of lemon cupcakes to make.

“Hey, can you measure out some more flour for me? The batter is a little runny.” Derek swung his arm back with the small bag of flour in hand. He heard a gasp and turned to see that he hand managed to get a small dusting of powder on Braeden’s nose. He did his best to contain himself but ultimately couldn’t hold in his laugh.

He doubled over with his hands on his knees, completely unaware of what Braeden was doing. She reached into the bag and pulled out a handful of flour, throwing it over his head laughing.

Derek’s mouth opened in shock when he felt the flour hit him.

“You did not just do that.”

“I think I did,” she laughed.

“Okay, okay,” he nodded. He turned to the counter where the runny cupcake batter was sitting. He scooped some up from the bowl and threw it at her.

“That was my hair.”

“Uh huh.”

Braeden retaliated with another handful of flour. The two began reaching for anything and everything in their vicinity. They threw everything from flour and batter to eggs and baking powder at each other. Though the mess continued to grow, the pair continued to laugh. Finally, Braeden raised the only egg left and was just about to throw it when Derek caught her wrist held it in the air.

He pinned her up against the counter before she could do anymore damage. They laughed as they took in the mess they had made of themselves with flour dusting their faces and bits of eggshell in their hair.

Soon they realized how close they had gotten. They could feel the other’s breath on their faces. Derek brushed a piece of eggshell out of Braeden’s hair and kept his hand on her face. 

“I really want to kiss you right now,” he whispered.

Braeden’s flicked down to his lip as she bit her own, trying to decide on a response before finally, “I really want you to.”

Derek moved to hold her face in both of his hands. He leaned in slowly and kept a loose hold on her, giving her a chance to move away if she wanted to. When she didn’t, he leaned down and kissed her. It was slow and chaste and sweet when Braeden kissed him back. It didn’t last long, but it was more than enough.

Braeden pulled away slightly, their noses still touching. She smiled softly at him as they stayed close. 

After a few minutes Derek pulled away and looked himself up and down. “Um we should probably get cleaned up. You got a little,” he gestured to his own head, signaling the large amounts of egg and flour in her hair. 

“Oh do I?”

“Just a little.”

“A little? Like a tiny-just a little bit?”

Derek laughed and nodded. “Uh, I think my sister left a t-shirt here once, and I have some old sweats with a drawstring that might fit you if you wanna..grab a shower while I finish up these cupcakes.”

“Yeah that uh-that sounds good,” she mumbled.

Nodding again, Derek showed her to his bathroom and gave her the previously mentioned clothes along with the shampoo and conditioner that his sister had also left there.

While she took a shower, he mopped up the kitchen and wiped down the counters while the lemon cupcakes they had attempted to make were in the oven. He took her absence as an opportunity to think about their kiss. He now knew that she probably felt the same way as he did. Which was to say really fucking confused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A kiss! Also a Scira breakup:( This is the longest chapter so far and I thought it was about time for a Draeden kiss. They will still be Derek and Braeden for a little bit longer before they’re DerekandBraeden, but things will be changing between them. Hope you like this chapter!:)


	9. Feisty

Braeden walked back into the kitchen just as Derek was putting frosting into an icing bag. She sat at one of the bar stools at his island and watched as he frosted the lemon cupcakes.

“Thanks for letting me use your shower, and the clothes.”

Derek smiled distantly. He hoped if he didn’t further the conversation, she wouldn’t be able to slip in a rejection.

As if she read his mind Braeden suggested that they should talk.

Admitting a quick defeat, Derek put down the icing bag and gestured to his couch where they moved to sit. They sat facing each other, Braeden with her legs folded under her.

“What do you want from this?”

Derek’s eyes widened slightly at the blunt question. “Wow okay. Not wasting time are we?”

“Derek.”

Sighing, Derek resigned himself and answered the question. “I don’t know exactly. I just want something..with you. I want us to try things, not just keep our beds warm whenever we feel like it. I know I can trust you..but I don’t want to, I don’t want to trust anyone again. Jennifer wasn’t the first person to hurt me, and there’s no guarantee that she was the last.”

Covering his hand, Braeden pursed her lips. “I want us to try things too, and see where we can go. But I’m afraid,” she admitted.

“Of what?”

“Of falling too deep, giving you the power to hurt me. What happened with the last person I was with..it isn’t something that I can forgive and forget easily. I still haven’t. What if it happens again?” Tears were now shining in her eyes, though she tried to blink them away.

Derek moved closer and pushed her hair back behind her ear, playing with the ends. “I can’t promise not to hurt you. I don’t know what happened in your last relationship. What I can promise you is that my intention will never be to harm you in any way.”

Smiling at his spoken promise, Braeden tightened her hold on his hand. “I think we should wait, before cementing anything. Make sure that we want to and can commit to each other.”

Nodding in agreement, Derek smiled softly. “I agree. I don’t want to ruin the chances of us having something good by starting it before we’re ready.”

Agreeing, Braeden suggested it was time for her to go when she was interrupted by the ringing of her phone.

Apologizing for the interruption, she was about to hit ‘ignore’ when she saw that it was Kira. She never called unless it was important. “I’m sorry, I have to take this.”

Derek gestured for her to do so, not minding.

“Hello?”

_“Braeden?”_

“Kira? What’s up?”

_“Nothing. Just wondering, when are you getting home?” A sniffle was heard over the line._

“Kira what’s wrong? Are you crying?”

_“I just..I just really need you right now.”_

“Hey hey. I’ll be right there okay? I’m on my way.”

_“Okay.”_

Braeden hung up the phone and stood up. She smiled apologetically at Derek as she put her shoes on and gathered her things.

“I’m sorry. I should really get home to Kira.”

Waving off her apology, Derek stood up from the couch as well. “Don’t worry about it. Your friend needs you, plus we finished everything. Thanks again for the help. It would’ve taken me the rest of the night.”

“You’re welcome. I had fun,” she said, smiling widely.

“I’m glad,” he replied.

“Oh hey,” she said, a look of remembrance on her face, “I almost forgot my clothes!”

Derek simply shrugged. “Leave them. I’ll wash our clothes and you can come pick them up whenever.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I doubt you’ll have a chance to wash them when you get home and if you leave them for even like an hour more the stains will never come out.”

As she agreed, he walked her over to the door and opened it slightly.

“Again, I really had fun tonight. Thanks for inviting me.”

“You’re welcome. Again.”

They stood there by the open door awkwardly, neither willing to break the silence that had come up. After a few minutes Derek suddenly leaned in and quickly kissed the corner of her mouth, not daring to actually _kiss_ her. Before she could respond, he rapidly said bye again and slammed the door, leaning back against it.

 _Idiot,_ he thought. He thumped his head back against the door, unaware that Braeden was leaning against the door on the other side.

She smiled widely, knowing that Derek seemed to have no regrets about their kiss earlier. She turned to look at the door before walking away, going down the hall.

                                               - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Braeden closed the door to the apartment behind her and called out for Kira. When she got no response, she walked through the apartment until she found Kira in her bedroom. The girl looked smaller than she already was surrounded by plastic ice cream cups and tissues.

“Kira, what’s wrong?”

“It’s over. It’s all over,” she sobbed.

There was no need for an explanation. Braeden knew exactly what she meant. She quickly pulled back Kira’s covers and climbed into bed behind her. She laid her arm behind her head on the pillow, rubbing her head softly, wrapping an arm around Kira’s waist and hugging her close.

“I couldn’t take it anymore. He was late again. I broke up with him before he had the chance to not offer an explanation.”

“Why didn’t you hear him out?”

“I was just waiting for a straw to break the camel’s back. It didn’t matter what he was doing anymore, it just matters that he wasn’t doing anything with me. He wasn’t there anymore.”

Braeden rubbed her back softly. “Hey, why don’t you take a bath? Use that nasty smelling bubble bath that you love,” she teased.

Kira sniffled a slight laugh. “Coconut isn’t a nasty smell.”

Kira took Braeden’s advice and took a bubble bath while her friend cleaned up the mess she’d left in her bed. When she got out, Braeden did her best to get Kira’s mind off of things by watching Harry Potter movies. Braeden wasn’t really into them, but Kira loved them, so that’s what they did until the girl fell asleep.

                                              - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Braeden couldn’t remember a recent time when she was more annoyed than now. Her uncle Deaton had just called her, saying that someone very important was going to come by the clinic today and she needed to dress ‘casual formal’. Whatever that meant. She was also annoyed because she had planned to wear her favorite green tank top and jeans. In fact, she already was.

“Wear that teal chiffon top. With your black blazer and those jeans that look really fancy from more than 5 feet away.”

Accepting the suggestion, Braeden started looking for said top. Only she didn’t find it. It wasn’t in her closet, any of her dresser drawers, or in the laundry room. She even looked in Kira’s room but the blouse seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Just when she was about to start double-checking the whole apartment again when she remembered that she’d worn the shirt the day before..and it was currently at Derek’s. She got her shoes on and was heading for the door with car keys in hand when Kira stopped her.

“Woah woah woah, where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“I didn’t get a chance to tell you, with what happened yesterday. I ran into Derek and his friend Erica at the grocery store yesterday. He had to bake a whole bunch of stuff for..actually I don’t know what for. Anyway, he invited me over to help him and we ended up getting into a food fight. I wore my chiffon top and it’s still there.”

Kira smirked, finally realizing why the clothes that Braeden had been wearing earlier looked unfamiliar. “Does he collect clothes from all the girls he has over? Just lets the next one borrow them,” she teased.

For some reason, that joke made Braeden irrationally angry. “Derek’s not like that! And the clothes are his sister’s!”

Kira was shocked at Braeden’s reaction. “Hey, I’m sorry,” she placated, hands up defensively.

Braeden sighed, instantly feeling bad for snapping when she saw the guilty look on Kira’s face. “No, I’m sorry. I know you were just kidding.”

“It’s okay. But hey, you should get going. You won’t have much time to come back and get ready if you don’t leave now.”

Braeden nodded and was out the door soon.

                                             - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“For the last time Erica! Nothing happened!”

Boyd and Erica had come over to help Derek box everything he and Braeden had baked but with every minute that passes he was becoming increasingly regretful of accepting their help.

“Oh please. You just told me that she went home in Laura’s clothes and hers are laid out neatly on your bed.”

Derek finished closing the last box and sat down at the small dining table he had.

“Nothing happened Erica. We were baking, almost finished with everything. We got in a food fight and then decided to get clean. Though I let her shower and borrow Laura’s clothes before I took a shower myself, _after_ she left. And stop asking questions about things that don’t concern you.”

He looked to Boyd for help, but the man just shrugged his shoulders. He knew better than to try to distract Erica when she was prying.

Erica pouted and opened her mouth to speak again when she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Derek sighed and walked over to answer it, paling slightly when he saw Braeden on the other side. He slowly moved out of the apartment and shut the door behind him.

“Uh Braeden. What are you doing here?”

“I really need my clothes back..like now. My uncle called and some hot-shot is coming to the clinic. Apparently my t-shirt and jeans won’t impress him,” she gestured to herself.

This prompted Derek to look her up and down. “I like you in a t-shirt and jeans,” he said smiling.

Braeden smiled back but raised her brow as well. “Derek, my clothes?”

Derek squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. “Okay look, Erica and Boyd are in there right now. Erica refuses to believe that the only thing that happened between us was a food fight.”

Eyes open in surprise, Braeden asked, “Why would she think anything more happened?”

“She’s been insistent that we get together ever since she found out we hung out that first night.”

“Does she know what we talked about last night?” she asked warily.

“No,” Derek nearly shouted. “Of course not, that’s between us.”

Braeden nodded in belief and gestured for Derek to open his door, which he did after only brief hesitation. She walked in and sat at the table across from Erica and Boyd while Derek went to grab her clothes. As soon as he was out of earshot Erica crossed her hands together and tucked them under her chin, elbows against the table and smirked.

“Did you have a long night Braeden? You look worn out.”

Oh. Subtle sex jokes? Braeden practically invented those.

“No, not at all. But hey, Erica right? Can I call you Erica?” At a nod from the blond she continued. “What masseuse do you go to? I can tell they must do a good job. You look really..loose.”

Boyd snorted at that and tried to disguise it as a cough. Erica caught him anyway and glared. As Derek walked back into the room her expression turned into a pleased smile.“I like her Derek. She’s feisty.”

Derek rolled his eyes playfully, unaware of the tension that came over Braeden. _  
_

_“You’re so feisty Braeden. I love it when you fight back.”_

“So, what do you say?”Braeden snapped out of it when she realized she’d been asked a question. “I’m sorry. What?”

“I asked if you wanted to go out with us for Boyd’s birthday tomorrow night? We’re going to this western-themed bar for a small get-together.”

“Get together?” Derek frowned. “Who else is supposed to be coming Erica?”

Erica hesitated for only a brief second, too short for anyone to notice. “Um, just this guy I met at work. He’s met Boyd before and I think the two of you will get along really well.”

Derek nodded and turned to Braeden, “Well? Do you wanna come with us?”

“Um, I-I would love to,” she decided.

“Great,” he replied. “Oh, and here are your clothes,” he held out said clothes.

“Thanks,” said Braeden as she took them. “I really should get going now. I have to get changed and finish getting ready for work.”

“Yeah of course. Have a good day.” Braeden laughed at the adorably dorky comment and smiled before heading out of the apartment.

When the door was shut behind her, Derek turned back to his friends.“Shut up Erica,” he said in reply to her smirking face.                  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kinda eh for me. I’m not 100% happy with all of it, but it’s leading into ch. 10 which I’m really happy about it. Oh and the line in italics is a flashback, a type of memory for Braeden.Let me know what you think!:)


	10. Surprise!

“You stink.”

Kira rolled her eyes, pointedly shoving a handful of Frosted Flakes in her mouth while staring at Braeden.

“No, seriously. You’ve been wearing nothing but your underwear and that bathrobe for two days. You haven’t showered in three.”

Kira bared her teeth and snarled, clearly going for something like a bear. Though she really looked more like a tiny fox with cheeto dust all over her mouth. 

“I want you showered and full of food by the time I get back tonight.”

“Where are you going? You never actually told me.”

Braeden took a drink from her glass of water, sighing. She hoped Kira wouldn’t make another comment like her last one. “I’m uh-I’m going to a bar. Derek’s friend Erica invited me when I went to get my clothes from his apartment. It’s her boyfriend’s birthday.”

Kira squinted her eyes suspiciously. “What’s going on there anyway?”

Braeden curled her lips inward, avoiding Kira’s eyes. She wanted to tell Kira what happened, she really did. The girl was her roommate and her best friend, but she just couldn’t do it. She couldn’t tell her friend everything after she’d asked Derek to do the exact opposite. “We’re just friends Kira. There’s nothing there, at least not now. Not that I’d take the chance even if there was. Besides, I already told you it was Erica who invited me.”

Kira shrugged her shoulders, but whimpered when she realized she’d eaten all her cereal.

“I have to go to the clinic. Uncle Deaton wants me there earlier today. Derek’s picking me up after and taking me with him to the bar. He’ll drop me off after.”

“Okay. And I promise I’ll at least brush me teeth,” she joked. “I actually have a few errands to run, so I’ll get ready and do that. Don’t eat too much at the bar. I’ll go get some groceries and make a late dinner for us like we used too.”

Braeden looked down at her feet at the last statement. When the two girls were still in college, one of them would cook a really late dinner when the other was going through something upsetting. Though Kira tried to make it seem like a spontaneous idea, Braeden knew she’d been thinking about it since her breakup with Scott.

“Sounds good.” Looking down at her watch, she headed for the door. “I’ll see you tonight.”

                                              - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Just as Braeden was walking up to the entrance of the animal clinic, she saw the same businessman from the other day walking out. As she settled down at her desk, her uncle Deaton came out from the back.

“Why does that man keep coming back? He can’t simply be a client if he doesn’t have a patient.”

Deaton sighed heavily and sat on the edge of the desk next to Braeden’s. “He’s not a client of the clinic. He’s a potential buyer of it.”

Braeden’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean ‘buyer’? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Your aunt Marin is very sick. She’s been sick for a while, but it’s getting worse. As you know, I’m her next of kin, and she’s asked me to stay with her while we see how things go. I’m relocating the clinic to Redding. That man wants to buy this one and make it a small family clinic.”

A sudden rage overcame Braeden. She stood up in front of her uncle, hands balled into fists. “When exactly were you planning on telling me this? When were you planning on telling me that you were leaving, and leaving me without a job?! What am I supposed to do here, alone?”

“You’re not alone,” he placated. “You have Kira, and Scott, and I know you’ve been spending time with someone new.” His calm response only angered Braeden more.

“I was supposed to have you too!”

Braeden’s mother was the sister of her aunt Marin, Deaton’s step-sister. Her father died when she was young,and she didn’t remember him at all. While Braeden grew up just fine, the same couldn’t be said for her mother. When she was 5, Braeden was put into foster care after her mom was found with a heroin needle in each arm. It wasn’t until she moved to Beacon Hills two years ago that she found Deaton, who she hadn’t seen since she was a little girl. He was the only family she’d had in nearly 20 years, other than her aunt.

“My decision is final Braeden. I’m sorry.” With that he left to take care of a dog who decided to run through the side of a house.

For the rest of the day, Braeden made it a point to only reply with one-word answers, until Derek arrived to pick her up.

“Hey, are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, let me just shut off my computer..and done.” Braeden grabbed her jacket and followed Derek out the door. Erica and Boyd would be meeting them at the bar.

                                            - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Once at the bar, the pair met Boyd and Erica in a small little booth tucked away in a corner of the bar. They sat down next to each other with their backs to the entrance. After they’d gotten settled in, Erica began her subtle-though-not-really interrogation.

“So Braeden, tell me about yourself.”

“Uh, what do you want to know?”

“Anything, everything. Derek doesn’t talk to many people. I wanna know why he started talking to you,” replied the blond, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger.

“Uh, well Derek said you ditched him at the bar to be with Boyd here. My friend had dragged me to the same club and ditched me to be with her boyfriend.”

To both Derek and Erica’s surprise, Boyd, ever the quiet one, joined in on the conversation. 

“Where are you from Braeden? I’ve lived in Beacon Hills my whole life and it’s not often that people come here.”

“Uh, I’m from a small town in Texas, Edcouch. I moved all around the state when I got put in the system. Moved to LA for college, and now I’m here. Thought I don’t know if it’ll be for much longer.”

Derek frowned at the last bit. “What are you talking about? Are you leaving?”

Braeden looked up at Derek, feeling guilty about the upset expression on his face. “My uncle told me today that he’s selling the animal clinic. My aunt is sick and he’s moving to Redding to be with her. Since the clinic made good business and he only had three employees, he paid me good money. Without that, I can’t afford my apartment. And I can’t find another job in time to pay all our bills.”

“Why don’t you come work with me?”

All heads turned towards Boyd when he spoke again.

“What?”

The man nodded and folded his arms down over the table. “Yeah, I work at Alcott’s as one of the head chefs, since the old head chef asked me to be his partner. Our expeditor just quit. The position is open and at this point they’re taking anyone.”

Braeden gave a deadpan expression. “Gee, thanks.”

Rolling his eyes, Boyd waved her off. “My point is, they don’t have time to go through the hassle of applications, qualifications, and interviews. Just show up with your resume and you’ll most likely get the job.”

“But I can’t just leave the clinic. I don’t know when my uncle will be able to sell it, but someone’s already been coming and going. While he’s still here, he needs me. Surely the job will be taken by then?”

“What’s your degree in?”

“Business management.”

Boyd nodded as if thinking to himself before looking back at Braeden. “Tell you what, you come in with me on Monday to talk to my boss. We explain to him that you’re very interested in the job opening but are tied up as of right now. Most likely, he’ll hire his twerp of a daughter until you can fill the position.”

Derek nodded along. “That’s a great idea.” He turned to smile at Braeden. “You can stay at the clinic while your uncle is still here and start at the restaurant just before he leaves.”

Braeden nodded in agreement, turning to look at Boyd. “Thanks Boyd. I really appreciate you helping me, considering we don’t really know each other at all.”

The man simply nodded back.

Erica had tuned out the conversation a few minutes prior, not interested in talking about work until she noticed they had all stopped talking.

“Are you done talking about boring stuff?”

3 sets of eyes rolled simultaneously and heads nodded.

“Good. Now let’s drink!”

                                            - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Hello?”

“Mr. McCall?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“This is Ricky. The head contractor.”

“Oh yes. Hi Ricky, what can I do for you?”

“Oh nothing sir. I just wanted to let you knew that if we continue to work extra hours, we should be able to meet the deadline you asked for. We might even be ahead of it.”

“That won’t be necessary Rick. There’s no longer a deadline.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Hey listen, I have some things to attend. Keep me posted.”

Scott threw his phone on his bed and sighed heavily, running his hands down his face.

                                            - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Two hours into Boyd’s little birthday celebration and everyone had a slight buzz. Well, except for Erica, who was full on drunk at this point.

Just as another round of drinks arrived, a tall guy with curly blond hair walked up to the table and wished Boyd a happy birthday. Braeden frowned, wondering if this was the coworker Erica had mentioned. She turned to ask her just that and saw that the woman was significantly more pale than before. She looked over at Derek and saw his hands fisted under the table. She put her hand on his forearm in an attempt to calm him and he looked at her. Erica sat down after greeting the guy with a hug, but Boyd hadn’t moved from his spot, eyeing Derek carefully.

The guy turned to face Derek and greeted him warily. “Hi Derek.”

Braeden saw as, through gritted teeth, he responded, “Hi Isaac.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s ch. 10! A little more insight into Braeden’s background. Can you guess what’s going on with Scott? And Isaac is back!


	11. There For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really like this chapter:) I’m kind of writing this as I go, just outlining the chapters a few days before I write them, but I already have some good story lines in mind. Any idea who Kira was in bed with? I’ll give you a hint; it’s not who you think it is, but when you find out, you’ll either love him or hate him. ;)

Derek immediately turned to Erica, who looked both hopeful and wary.

“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say this is your ‘co-worker’?”

Erica bit her lip anxiously before responding. “Derek-”

“This was a really shitty thing to do, especially on Boyd’s birthday Erica!”

Erica frowned sadly and looked down at the table. “I just wanted all of Boyd’s friends to be here. I wanted his birthday to be special.”

Derek sighed, visibly calming at the guilty look on Erica’s face. “I understand that Erica, I do, but you should have told me ahead of time instead of-instead of _ambushing_ me.”

At this moment, Isaac decided to cut in. “Derek, don’t blame her. I was the one who asked her not to tell you.”

The other man scoffed and rolled his eyes in response. “Of course. It makes sense. Your last surprise pissed me off too.”

“Why are you acting like this Derek? You said you didn’t hate Isaac,” reminded Boyd.

“And I was telling the truth Boyd, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy with him, doesn’t mean I forgive him.”

Isaac frowned, looking down at his shoes. “I thought things would be okay when I came back from England. I left to give you space Derek.”

Shaking his head in disagreement Derek angrily replied, “You only made things worse by running away. You didn’t stay to talk things through or explain yourself. The only thing your absence did was give me time to get even angrier at you.”

Braeden, who had been watching everyone carefully, tugged on Derek’s arm and he snapped his neck towards her, anger leaving his face when their eyes met.

“We should leave,” she whispered.

He nodded and stood up, helping Braeden out of the booth. “Braeden and I are leaving,” he said while grabbing his coat in one hand and Braeden’s hand in the other. “And Isaac, if you really want to fix things? Stop running away from me, but don’t run to me either.”

He and Braeden walked out of the bar, with him dragging her away quickly, anger written all over his face. Braeden tugged on his hand again and he stopped.

“Where do you plan on going,” she asked.

Derek rubbed his hand over his face, taking a moment to calm down. “Do you mind if we go to my place? I know you mentioned Kira was staying in, and I really don’t want to see anyone else right now.”

“Of course. Come on.”

When they got to Derek’s apartment, he quickly went to the kitchen and poured himself a drink. “I’m sorry, I wish you hadn’t seen that,” he said, tossing back his drink.

Braeden waved off his apology. “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault. Erica shouldn’t have lied to you about that.”

                                               - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Back at the bar, things were still tense after Derek’s departure.

“I’m sorry Isaac! I had no idea Derek would react like that,” apologized Erica.

Boyd frowned at her, pursing his lips with a look of disappointment on his face. “You should be apologizing to _Derek_.” 

Erica frowned confusedly, “Why?”

“Because you shouldn’t have surprised him like that Erica!”

“I was just trying to fix things..It’s been months, and I miss all of us being friends.”

“It wasn’t your place to fix something between Isaac and Derek Erica! You didn’t, by the way. In fact, you probably messed things up between Derek and yourself instead.”

Isaac sighed, sitting down across from the couple. “Boyd’s right Erica. As much as I want to fix my friendship with Derek, this probably wasn’t the way to do it.”

Erica pouted, looking down at her hands while trying to hide the wetness in her eyes.

                                               - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“I just wish I hadn’t been surprised like that. It would’ve been different if Isaac had happened to walk into the same bar, but Erica planned the whole thing. I hate surprises, always have.”

_“Don’t you like your surprise baby? I planned everything all by myself. Huh? Don’t you like your surprise Braeden?!”_

Braedensnapped out of her thoughts when she realized Derek was calling her name. 

“Are you okay?”

“Uh yeah, yeah. I was just thinking about how much I hate surprises too.”

“How shitty was your last surprise,” he asked, letting out an empty laugh.

Braeden tensed, her eyes watering. She shook her head repeatedly, covering her mouth with her fist.

Without asking, Derek knew exactly why she was upset. He moved to sit in front of her on his coffee table. He touched her chin gently, coaxing her towards him.

“Whoever he is..he really messed you up didn’t he?”

“I thought he loved me. He said he did. I thought everything he did to me was what you do to people you love. I didn’t know. No one had ever claimed to love me before. I didn’t know.” By this point tears are running down her face as she shuts her eyes tightly.

“Hey, hey,” he whispered, leaning forward and touching their foreheads together. “Shh, I’m here. You’re okay Braeden, you’re okay.”

Braeden threw her arms around Derek’s shoulders, tucking her face into his neck.

Derek moved to sit next to her on the couch, keeping her close all the while. They sat there for minutes, or maybe even hours, until eventually Braeden’s cries quieted as she fell asleep. Once he was sure she wouldn’t wake up, Derek carried her to his bed and laid her under the covers. He got more of Laura’s spare clothes and set it on the nightstand, so she could change if she woke during the night. He took the time to get himself ready for bed and went to sleep on the couch in the living room.

                                              - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next morning, Derek slowly woke to the quiet buzz of repeated vibrations. Squinting while he fully woke, he realized the buzzing was coming from Braeden’s purse on the coffee table. Taking a glance, he saw that Braeden’s phone was ringing. The phone was peeking out of the purse and he saw a K on the caller ID screen. 

Looking towards his room, he could tell that Braeden was still asleep, and quietly as possible, took her phone and answered it.

“Hello?”

_“Hello? Who is this? And why do you have my friend’s phone? I’ll call the cops.”_

Derek’s eyes widened at the words. “Um I’m Derek. Nice to meet you.”

_“Oh hi Derek. I’m Kira. Braeden’s told me good things about you.”_

“Uh thanks,” he said, brows furrowing.

_“You’re welcome! Hey, can you put Braeden on the phone please?”_

“Oh sorry, she’s sleeping.”

 _“Oh._ Oh _.”_

“No, not like that! We-uh, some things happened at the bar last night and I got..upset. We came back to my apartment and the conversation came to a serious topic. Braeden got upset as well and fell asleep a bit later. I didn’t have the heart to wake her.”

_“That’s fine. I’m just glad she’s safe. I was worried when she didn’t come home or contact me. We had a late dinner planned.”_

“I’m sorry! If I had known she had somewhere to be, I would’ve made sure she stayed awake.”

_“It’s alright, don’t worry. Can you just have Braeden call me when she wakes up?”_

“Yes, of course.”

_“Thank you. Bye bye.”_

“Bye.”

A voice came from behind Derek. “Hey, who was that?”

                                               - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kira felt a bare arm slip around her naked waist. She turned to face its owner with a wicked smirk.

“Hey, who was that?”

“Oh no one. Just my roommate’s friend. Now, where were we?”

“Hmm, round 3?”

Kira’s smirk grew as she straddled her bed partner, leaning down to kiss them passionately.

                                               - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Derek turned to face Braeden, smiling. “It was your roommate. Sorry for the intrusion, but I woke up and it just kept ringing. I think she’s been calling all night.”

Braeden’s face fell. “Shit! I was supposed to go home last night. Me and Kira had a late dinner planned.”

“She said it was fine. Just glad to know you were safe.”

Braeden shook her head as she joined Derek on the couch. “You don’t understand. When we were in college, we started a little tradition of sorts. Whenever one of us was upset about something, we had a really late dinner, between 12 and 3 o’clock at night.” She sighed, shaking her head again. “Kira wanted one last night. She said there was no reason behind it, but I know she’s still upset about her breakup with Scott.”

Derek frowned, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry. Like I told Kira, if I had known you had somewhere to be I would’ve made sure you got home last night.”

Smiling, Braeden laid a hand over Derek’s on his knee. “It’s not your fault. I’m glad I could be here with you, especially after last night.”

Derek turned his body toward Braeden’s, raising a hand to her cheek. “I’m glad you were here too,” he whispered softly.


	12. Risky Business

Leaning even closer, Derek kissed her gently, smiling when she responded. He broke the kiss, sitting back against the couch.

“How about I make breakfast?”

Braeden nodded in agreement. “Sounds good. Do you mind if I take a shower?”

“No, of course not. I left some clothes for you on the nightstand in case you woke up during the night. You can use that, or you can go into the bottom drawer of my wardrobe, that’s where Laura’s clothes are.”

Braeden smiled at the offer and walked off to go shower while Derek got started on breakfast.

When she came back out, dressed in the clothes Derek had left, Derek was laying down plates on the table, stacked with potatoes, eggs, and bacon.

“So..about last night,” she started.

Derek tensed, taking a bite of food before asking, “What about it?”

“How do you feel knowing that Isaac’s back? And about what Erica did? It seemed to really bother you.”

“I’m still upset about what Erica did, but I know her heart was in the right place. It was hard on her when Isaac left.”

Braeden nodded, biting into a strip of bacon. “And Isaac?”

Sighing, Derek dropped his fork and leaned back in his chair. “I thought I was over it, what he did. I thought that since I’d stopped caring about Jennifer, I’d stopped caring about what they did. But at that anger just came back when I saw Isaac.”

Braeden quieted. She couldn’t help but wonder if, just like his anger towards Isaac came back, Derek’s feelings for Jennifer came back as well.

As if he had just read her mind, Derek spoke again. “I mean, I don’t feel anything for Jennifer anymore, I’m sure of that, but I guess I’m still upset about what they did. Isaac was my best friend for as long as I could remember.”

Braeden chose to take a bite of food instead of responding. 

“What you said last night,” Derek started.

It startled Braeden, who was suddenly worried that Derek would try and make her talk.

“I just wanted to let you know that I promise not to repeat any of what you said, to anyone. And I’m not going to bring the subject up again unless you do, except for now of course,” he joked, drawing a laugh out of Braeden.

“Thank you. It actually felt good to let out some of what I’ve been holding in for so long.”

The conversation ended there, as did the meal. Braeden cleaned up their plates and Derek drove her home.

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When Braeden walked into her and Kira’s apartment, she called out her roommate’s name. “Kira?”

The petite girl came out of her bedroom in her bathrobe, face flushed and covered in a sheen of sweat.

Braeden faltered, looking toward Kira’s door, wondering what Kira was doing that had her looking like she did. “Did you and Scott..” she trailed off.

Kira’s eyes widened and she shook her head repeatedly. “No! God no!” she insisted. Once she thought Braeden accepted her answer, she went back into her room, climbing back into bed with her bed mate. 

“So, where did you say you come from again?”

The man stilled, before smirking. “I just came back from a trip out of the country.”

“Why’d you come back?”

“To see some old friends. And make new ones perhaps.”

Kira smirked, untying her robe slowly and letting it drop off her shoulders to the floor.

                                                 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Meanwhile, Braeden went off to her own room to change out of Laura’s clothes and into her own.

She sat down, running a hand through her hair. She couldn’t help but worry about Kira. To Braeden, it really didn’t seem like a good idea for Kira to sleep with Scott without commitment. It was possible that Kira wanted to be with Scott, but didn’t want to get back together with him. Braeden had known Kira for many years, and she knew that when Kira was afraid to get hurt, by anything, she avoided formal commitment. In Kira’s mind, if she’s not committed, she doesn’t care. She just hoped her friend didn’t end up hurt.

Ignoring her thoughts for the time being, Braeden thought over the past day. Despite what had happened at the bar, she’d still had a great time with Derek. When they’d been sitting on his couch this morning, she was surprised to find that she wasn’t afraid of him kissing her, but was actually looking forward to it, and felt a slight ping of disappointment when it was only a fleeting touch of their lips.

Even thought it’d only been a while since they decided to take their time, Braeden was now more than sure that she wanted to be with Derek. But did he want the same? She couldn’t help but worry that with Isaac’s return, Derek would be even more unsure of what he wanted. And perhaps unrequited feelings were worse than none at all.

Maybe she would just tell him how she felt, and find out what he wanted. It was a scary thought to think that he wouldn’t want to be with her, but it was a risk she was willing to take. Derek was worth the risk.

                                                 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next day, Derek was on his way out of his apartment so he could go to work. He opened the door while texting his boss when his face hit something strange. Looking up, he saw that a poster had been taped to the top of his doorway. Taking it down carefully, he walked back into the apartment. 

The poster had a bunch of Twix bars, Derek’s favorite, taped to it and in the center was an apology message signed with Erica’s name. He was shocked to say the least; in all the years he’d known Erica, she’d never apologized to anyone for anything, except maybe Boyd, once.

He texted her quickly, letting her know that he’d gotten the poster, but not hinting as to whether or not he had accepted her apology. With that, he was out the door once again.

When he finally got to work he headed down to his boss’s office to get his assignment for the day.

“I want you to look over this case. It’s from Beacon County, but the plaintiff’s lawyer wants BHSD to look over it. Take it over to Thompson and study it with him. Give me the basics and start building a defense.”

Skimming over the documents, Derek saw that it was a case of domestic abuse. A young women, very young, was accusing her boyfriend of beating her conscious and sexually assaulting her. Reading over the words, his mind flashed back to Braeden crying the night before.

He shook off the thought. There was no way someone could do that to Braeden. She was amazing, and no one would risk losing her, right? No, whatever had been done to her was something else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda iffy about this chapter, but I hope you guys like it! Things are gonna start heating up here pretty soon, in more ways than one;) Let me know what you think.


	13. Tell Me a Secret

 Erica was currently lying in bed with Boyd, frowning at her phone. For the life of her, she couldn’t seem to fathom why Derek hadn’t just accepted her apology directly. He was always so fucking cryptic, and she said as much to her boyfriend.

“Maybe he didn’t say he’s forgiven you because he hasn’t. Forgiven you, that is.”

Erica frowned at the suggestion. “Why wouldn’t he forgive me?”

Boyd sighed, wrapping his arms around the blonde. “Erica, a bunch of twix and a poster aren’t going to magically fix what you did. Derek was really upset by it.”

“But why? It wasn’t even that big of a deal. I was just trying to fix things between him and Isaac.”

“That’s the point Erica. It wasn’t up to you to fix it. If Isaac really wanted to fix things with Derek, he would’ve come back and sought him out a long time ago. Without help from anyone else.”

“Whatever. I won’t wait around forever.” She rolled over, texting Isaac to see if he wanted to grab lunch.

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was 3 o’clock when Derek walked back into his apartment after work. For some reason he’d thought it would be a good idea to work through lunch without so much as a drink of water. Doing so had brought on a migraine, which unfortunately wasn’t a new thing for him.  He made quick work of his coat and tie, tossing both on the arm chair he had. Just as he was shrugging off his dress shirt, leaving his undershirt on, there was a knock on his door.

He opened the door quietly and saw Braeden standing on the other side, a bag of Freddy’s in one hand and what looked like movies in the other.

“Hey,” he whispered, smiling as he gestured for her to come in. “What are you doing here?”

Braeden frowned, confused at the low volume. “Why are we whispering?”

“I got a migraine earlier. It’s just starting to wear off.”

She frowned apologetically. “I can go if you’d prefer? Actually, I think that would be best.” She turned around, making her way out the door when Derek caught her arm, pulling her against him.

“Don’t. Stay.” He pulled her closer. She started to smile before he pressed her lips to hers. Braeden responded eagerly, running her hands up Derek’s arms and around his neck. The kiss didn’t last long, but Derek was nearly out of breath when they pulled away. He took the food and movies from her, setting them on the coffee table as he gestured for her to sit on the couch. 

“Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”

Braeden sighed, digging into the burgers she’d brought. “It’s supposed to be movie night with Kira, but she blew me off.”

“Why?”

“She’s been in locked up in her room all weekend with some guy. I think it’s Scott.”

“Didn’t they break up?”

“Well yeah, I thought so. She was so torn up about it just the other night. I’m worried about her.”

“Why’s that,” asked Derek, munching on his fries.

“Kira’s not one for friends with benefits. She needs commitment, needs to know that someone wants to be there in the long run. Doesn’t see any point in starting anything that’s just going to end.”

Derek sat back on the couch, putting his arm around Braeden’s shoulders. “You have to let her make her own decisions Braeden. I understand that you’re worried about her, but Kira needs to take care of herself when she makes mistakes.”

“Yeah, but I-“

“Braeden.”

“-I just worry about her-”

“Braeden.”

“-you know. She’s like my sister, and I-”

“Braeden!”

“Yes?”

Derek ran his hand over her hair, stopping his hand at her shoulder. “You have to let her make her own decisions. Even if they bring her problems. Kira won’t learn any lessons if you don’t give her the chance to.”

“I guess you’re right. I’m just worried about her you know?” Sighing defeated,  she laid her head back against Derek’s chest.

He nodded in response. “I do understand. Back in high school, when I first met Isaac, his dad abused him, bad. Isaac’s brother, Camden, had died in the army. His mother lived just long enough to name Isaac. His father blamed it for it, and he never forgave him.”

“Derek-”

The man in question held his hand up, signaling for Braeden to wait. “Some time after he started working at our restaurant, his father was killed. They tried to look for Isaac and found him locked in an old, broken freezer.”

“That’s horrible Derek!”

He just nodded, continuing his story. “We took him in after that, but he wasn’t the same. The county tried to get him to talk to a therapist, but the only thing that could get him to talk was a bottle. He did everything, and everyone.”

“He didn’t seem that way the other night. What got him to stop?”

“My parents. They loved him, and told his as much frequently. But they told him that at the end of the day, me and my sisters were their priority. My mom gave him an ultimatum. If he didn’t get his act together, he had to leave.”

“That worked?”

“It did. He had nowhere else to go. We were still 17, and he had no other living relatives, at least, not ones that cared about him. If he left, he’d be put into the system for a year.”

“I get it now.”

Derek furrowed his brows, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Why he did what he did, to you. It sounds like his favorite way of dealing with problems is to create new ones.”

“Huh. You really think so?”

“Of course,” she nodded. “His father died, so he started drinking and sleeping around. What was going on around the time he-”

“Slept with my girlfriend?”

“Braeden nodded sheepishly.

Derek stared ahead as he tried to remember exactly what had happened.

_“Hey, how was your day?”_

_“Miserable.”_

_Derek set his laptop aside, frowning. “What happened?”_

_“That asshole Richard gave me a fake agenda sheet. Because of him, I did everything I was supposed to do at completely different times! I got fired.”_

_“I’m sorry Isaac. That sucks.”_

_“At least the coffee he threw on me was cold.”_

“He’d just been fired from his job. It’d been months since he found one, and he owed me almost 4 months worth of rent and utilities. He finally found a paid internship at an editorial space. The night before I caught him with Jennifer, he got fired. It’d only been 2 months.”

                                               - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Where have you been Isaac? I’ve been texting you all day!”

The curly haired man simply smirked. “I’ve been busy.”

Erica looked him over warily, seemingly suspicious. “Doing what?”

Isaac shook his head. “Not what, but _whom_.”

“Well, as long as this one doesn’t have a boyfriend who happens to be your friend.”

The smirk on Isaac’s face dropped. “Low blow Erica.”

“Is that how it was with Jennifer?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Shut the fuck up Erica!”

Erica sneered at her friend. “I know exactly what’s going on. You bit the hand that fed you, and ran away when he stopped. I know that because of you, the four of us got separated. Because of you, Derek might never talk to me again.”

Shaking his head furiously, pointing angrily at Erica. “Don’t put that shit on me! You’re the one who called me. I asked you to keep it from Derek, but I didn’t force you to do shit! And don’t try to give me that bullshit about our friendship being over. The three of you came back to Beacon Hills and kept playing happy family without me.”

“I wasn’t happy! None of us were happy! But we had to go on. It was up to me and Boyd to put Derek back together after you broke him with what you did. I’m so sorry that I didn’t chase you all around Europe. Poor you, sleeping with a girl you were attracted to and then running off for a nice long trip.”

Isaac shook his finger furiously at Erica. “You don’t know! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS LIKE!”

“Don’t know what what was like!”

“BEING BLACKMAILED INTO BETRAYING MY BROTHER!”


	14. Together Now

“What the hell are you talking about Isaac?”

The blonde looked down at his feet, a guilty look on his face.

“Isaac. What. Are. You. Talking. About?”

Isaac gulped, sitting down at the table. “Back in high school, I started getting calls from debt collectors after my dad died. I was 18 by then, so the Hales never had any reason to be contacted. I don’t know what the hell my dad spent all his money on, but it wasn’t bills. He owed so much money that relief wasn’t an option.”

“What did you do?”

“When the Hales took me in, they gave me a credit card, only to be used for necessities. School fees, new clothes, medicine, or even something like a locksmith.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t use it for those things,” prompted Erica.

Isaac shook his head, “I used the credit card to pay off my dad’s funeral. I paid it off bit by bit with my paycheck from Joe’s, but it wasn’t enough to start paying off the debt too. I started dealing. Became the middle man and got a cut. Got hooked too. Started stealing little things of value from around the house to pay for my next hit.”

Erica shook her head, both in disbelief and empathy. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that Isaac, but I don’t understand. What does any of that have to do with what happened with Jennifer?”

“She found out. I don’t know how, but she had proof. She had receipts from pawn shops signed by me. My credit card statements. Everything she needed to make sure the Hales wouldn’t have anything to do with me ever again. Just before it happened, Jennifer came to me. Said she felt like he was ignoring her, putting everything else before their relationship.” Isaac started breathing heavily, struggling to get words out. “She said she wanted to teach him a lesson about what happens when you don’t pay her any attention.”

Erica sighed, taking time to comprehend what she was hearing. “And what happens?”

“She strays away.”

“What did she do?”

Isaac stood up, pacing around Erica’s kitchen. “First she just tried to get me to sleep with her. She knew you and Boyd love each other, so she assumed that since I was her only option, I would just go along with anything she said. She got really angry when I didn’t.”

“Isaac, why didn’t you say anything sooner? It’s been months and you just kept your mouth shut!”

“Because I don’t remember anything else!”

Erica stood up, grabbing him by the shoulders to stop his pacing. “How can you not remember anything?”

“She got me drunk. The first time she tried to seduce me was a month before her anniversary with Derek. The next time was her anniversary with Derek. He’d called me and said that he would be just 30 minutes late getting home, so I texted Jennifer. She came over, storming into the apartment. She went straight for the alcohol, throwing it back like water in a desert. I’d been fired the night before, do you remember?” He continued at Erica’s nod. “It was easy to take the tumbler she was offering me. To keep going past half the bottle, then start on my second. Next thing I know I wake up in bed. Derek was standing at the door, practically shaking with anger while Jennifer was just smirking, not even bothering to cover herself up. He didn’t say anything, just walked out.”

“That’s how you knew how angry he was.”

She got a nod in return. She looked down at Isaac’s shoes, looking up when she heard crying. Isaac was shaking, wetness in his eyes. Erica took him in her arms, sighing when he finally let out a sob.

                                                 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Back at the Beacon Hills animal clinic, Braeden was doing monthly entries, updating current files and creating new ones. She finished up a stack of files when her uncle came into the lobby.

“Braeden, do you mind faxing these over to this address? As soon as possible please.” He handed Braeden  a file and a sticky note with the name _John Richester_ written across the top.

Opening the folder, Braeden saw what appeared to be a signed contract..for the sale of the animal clinic. Creeping her head around the corner, she saw that her uncle was distracted with a sick kitten. She quickly made copies of the contract for herself. After that, she pulled a little trick she’d learned on the fax machine, effectively putting it out of order for the time-being.

She may still be angry with her uncle, but Braeden wasn’t about to let him get screwed over. She didn’t know anything about legal contracts, but Derek would. He would be able to look over the contract and see if anything was wrong with it. Grabbing her purse, she stuffed the copies and originals in it, just as Deaton came back out.

“Did you do as I asked?”

“Uh no. No, the fax machine is having some issues. I’ll call the guy in a little bit, have him come in first thing tomorrow.”

Deaton nodded, oblivious. “Very well. Thank you Braeden.”

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kira got out of the shower, rubbing a towel over her wet hair when the doorbell rang. She smiled, loosening the tie on her bathrobe just a bit.

She walked over to the door, opening it quickly. “Hey, back for more already?”

She faltered when she saw that it was Scott, frowning.

“What are you talking about Kira?”

“Uh nothing, sorry. I hung out with a friend from work earlier. We ate a whole box of pizza together and she just left a while ago.

Scott seemed suspicious, but accepted the lie nonetheless. 

“What are you doing here Scott?”

“I wanted to talk. About what happened.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” insisted Kira.

“Kira please. You don’t have to take me back, or even say anything. Just hear me out,” Scott pleaded.

Kira shook her head, moving to close the door. “I’m sorry Scott.”

The man put a hand on the door, holding it open. He pulled an envelope out of his pocket. He handed it to her, turning and walking towards his car without another word.

Closing the front door, Kira went back into her bedroom and sat at the foot of her bed. She opened the envelope gently, taking care not to damage whatever was inside. Unfolding the papers she found inside, she gasped at what she saw. Inside were blueprints for a house, paint swatches, and a very detailed list. Laying everything out on the bed, it didn’t take long to figure out exactly what Scott had given her.

                                               - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After work, Braeden had gone over to Derek’s apartment, intending to have him look at the contract her uncle had given her, but that was quickly forgotten.

“What did you want to talk about?”

“I,” Braeden halted, forming her words carefully. “Do you want me? I mean, do you want to be with me?”

Derek sat back on the floor, tucking a leg under himself. “Of course I do. Where is this coming from Braeden?”

The woman just shrugged a shoulder, laying her legs under the coffee table in front of her. “Just wondering. It’s been months and I haven’t made a decision. Thought maybe you got tired of waiting.”

“Braeden, I could never get tired, not of you. Like you said, it’s been months, but only a few. To be quite honest, I’m pretty sure I’d be willing to wait years for you.”

“You don’t mean that.”

Derek frowned, moving closer to Braeden, tilting her head up slightly. “I do. I don’t know what happened with.. _him_. But we’re not the same guy. Whatever he did, I could never do the same. Just give me the chance to prove it.”

Braeden nodded and Derek leaned in, kissing her. She reciprocated, leaning up, and placing a hand on the back of his neck. He didn’t let his hands wander, fearing that he would cross a line Braeden had drawn, but he did deepen the kiss. He let his tongue run along her bottom lip.

Braeden gasped, tucking her fingers into soft, black hair. She moved to straddle his lap, but Derek held her back, breaking the kiss.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want-”

“I do, I really do Braeden. But we shouldn’t. Not yet. I don’t want you to do something that you might regret later. Even if you think you won’t. I couldn’t handle it if you regretted the first time we’re together.”

Nodding silently, Braeden moved to lean against him, her head on his shoulder. “Can we be a couple now?”

Derek laughed, nodding eagerly. “Yeah, we can,” he said, kissing her head.


	15. (Not so) Secrets

Currently Derek was sitting in Braeden’s room watching some movie she had been telling him about. Though, truth be told, he wasn’t really paying attention to the screen. He couldn’t seem to stop kissing her cheek and her hair, running his hands up and down her arms. Smiling, Braeden tilted her head up from where it rested on Derek’s chest. She kissed him sweetly, smiling into it when he reciprocated eagerly. The kiss continued, heating up ever so slightly, Braeden’s hand twisted in Derek’s shirt and his hand rubbing her back. Suddenly Derek’s phone rang from its place on the night stand. Braeden pouted, upset at the interruption while Derek reached blindly for his phone, cursing whoever interrupted his time with his girlfriend. God, he still couldn’t get over the excitement every time he used the word, even though it’d already been two weeks.

“Hello?”

“Derek?” 

“I’m busy Isaac,” Derek went to hang up when-

“Wait!”

“What do you want Isaac?”

“I need to talk to you. Please. I’m at Boyd and Erica’s apartment.”

The line went dead and Derek frowned, staring at his phone screen.

“What was that about,” asked Braeden.

“Isaac. He wants to talk.”

“Are you going to go?”

“I don’t know,” Derek answered honestly. “Would you come with me? Whatever he has to say, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep my anger in check.”

“Of course,” she nodded. “Do you want to go now?”

Derek thought about it for a minute, debating the pros and cons in his head. “Yeah, yeah I do.”

The pair got ready and left shortly after, arriving at Erica and Boyd’s quickly. When they got there, Isaac proceeded to tell Derek everything he had told Erica two weeks ago.

“I uh, I-thank you for telling me Isaac. I just need some time to take everything in.”

“Sure, sure. Thanks for hearing me out,” Isaac responded. “You didn’t have to.”

“Clearly I did.”

After an awkward goodbye, Derek and Braeden returned to the latter’s apartment, which was void of anyone else since Kira was in New York visiting her parents and wouldn’t be back until the next day.

“Do you wanna talk about it,” asked Braeden awkwardly.

Derek shook his head silently, not having said a word on the whole ride back. 

Allowing Derek some time in his own head, Braeden got started on an early dinner. It was only 7 but she knew Derek didn’t like eating too late. Getting out the ingredients for parmesan chicken, she remembered that she’d never given Derek the copy of Deaton’s contract. Shortly after establishing where they stood with one another, work built up for Derek at his internship and they hadn’t even gotten to enjoy the start of the “honeymoon phase”. Unfortunately, that also meant that Braeden had been forced to fax the original contract to that Richester guy. Pulling the copies out of her purse, she slid them over the island to Derek while she cut chicken breasts.

“What’s this?”

“It’s uh-the contract Deaton got for the sale of the clinic. He had me send it back the the buyer the other day. I made a copy before I faxed it. Thought you might be able to look it over?”

Derek nodded affirmatively. “What am I looking for exactly?”

Braeden shrugged. “Anything really. I don’t know much about that stuff, at least not the legal side. I just want to make sure that my uncle isn’t getting screwed over.”

“Of course. Do you have a highlighter and a pen?

Braeden got him the requested items and went back to cooking while Derek annotated the contract. Just as she finished with dinner, Derek finished looking over the contract and they exchanged. 

“Everything checks out, but I’d advise your uncle to be wary of any surprises.”

The couple dug into their food and were eating in a comfortable silence when suddenly Derek blurted out, “Should I believe him?”

“Isaac?”

A nod.

“It makes sense, everything he said. But can I believe him? It’s been 6 months, why did he wait so long to tell me? Is it even possible for Jennifer to have overpowered him like that? Isaac is a bit of a light weight, but he’s strong, and always in his 5 senses.”

“It’s possible.”

It took a while for Derek to realize that Braeden had responded while he was rambling, but he caught on quickly. “Uh what?”

“It’s possible that she overpowered Isaac, even if it doesn’t seem like it. I mean, do you think I could be overpowered?”

Derek choked out a laugh. “Of course not! I clearly recall how you _threw me over your back_ when I snuck up on you the other day. You have to know self-defense.”

“I do,” she confirmed, “but there’s a reason I learned it in the first place.”

“It has to do with him doesn’t it?”

She nodded in confirmation.

In the past two weeks, Braeden’s..past hadn’t come up again, but Derek’s noticed how Braeden tenses up when she falls asleep, how she shakes and thrashes. Just the other night he had to catch her before she fell of the couch during a nightmare. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” he reassured.

“I do. Besides, if we plan on this going any further, I’m going to have to tell you eventually. No sense in putting it off.”

“Okay.”

“I met Marcus just before senior year of college. We started talking at a party one night and we hit it off, it was great. Pretty soon we were together and it was amazing, he was amazing. For months everything was great. Marcus was sweet, considerate, helpful. He didn’t care about the differences in our social standings. I was there strictly because of scholarships while his parents gave the finance department a hefty check each month. He was perfect, until he wasn’t,” she said coldly.

“What happened,” he asked warily.

“It was a few months in, maybe six or seven. I had to do a project with this guy for my Business Computing class. We had to do some big presentation with graphs, charts, and a PowerPoint within two weeks. Our schedules conflicted a bit so the only time we could work was at night. The first week or so was fine, just a bit of slight jealousy, which was perfectly fine, nothing too dramatic.” She sighed, her voice breaking with oncoming tears. She took deep breaths, getting her emotions in check. “It wasn’t until the last few days that he started lashing out. He accused me of cheating with my partner. Said I spent my nights sleeping with him instead of working. I argued back, got in his face about his crazy assumptions. He backhanded me across the face. Even after the project was over, things just got worse and worse. If I so much as looked at another guy, he found out and beat me.”

Derek was growing more and more furious by the second, clenching his fists tightly in his lap. He couldn’t stand to think that some jackass had treated Braeden so badly. He almost wanted to beg Braeden to stop talking, but he knew she needed to say it.

“He almost pushed me down the stairs once, but someone turned the corner. The last night with him was the worst of all. He went out and got blackout drunk. He came to my dorm while Kira was at Scott’s place.” Finally, Braeden couldn’t keep a hold on her emotions, letting tears roll down her her cheeks. “He threw me down..said that he could do..could do whatever he wanted because he was my boyfriend.”

“Oh Braeden. He didn’t.”

Braeden nodded, full-on sobbing now. Derek practically leaped across the island, immediately taking his girlfriend into his arms. He moved them into Braeden’s bedroom, laying her down and covering her with her favorite blanket. He laid down next to her over the blanket, making sure to keep his distance but staying close enough to comfort her. They fell asleep after a few hours of laying in silence, until Derek woke to giggling in the middle of the night. Looking over at the clock on his girlfriend’s nightstand, he saw that it was about 5 o’clock in the morning.

He heard a woman’s voice, recognizing it as Kira’s, who had clearly come home earlier than expected. He brushed it off and was about to go back to sleep when he heard another voice, that of a male, which sounded oddly familiar. Walking up to the door, he waited to hear the voices head down the hall before opening the door and peeking through. His eyes widened dramatically at the sight. A half-naked Kira was stumbling into her bedroom.

With Isaac.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go! Finally, Braeden’s past troubles have been revealed. Don’t worry, she’s started healing. Things with Derek will still move a bit slow, but just for a bit longer.
> 
> And be honest, who knew Kira was sleeping with Isaac?
> 
> Also, I’ve decided that this story will be 25 chapters, with the last being an epilogue.


	16. Confrontations

Isaac woke up to the sound of Alessia Cara singing loudly from Kira’s phone on the nightstand. The noise only added to his pounding headache and he reached blindly for it, quickly answering.

“Hello?”

_“Hello? Who is this?”_

“This is Isaac. Who is this?”

_“This is Scott. Where’s Kira?”_

Isaac looked over at the girl in question, smirking when he noticed that the sheet covering her was dropping lower. He snapped out of his little trance at the sound of a voice on the other line.

“Uh sorry, what?”

_“I said, where’s Kira?”_

“She’s asleep. We had a…long night.”

The line went dead and Isaac shrugged, tossing the phone back on the night stand and turning over to go back to sleep.

                  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Down the hall, Derek was waking up in Braeden’s room. Sighing as he tucked one arm behind his head, he looked down to see Braeden was still asleep. They’d shifted in the middle of the night and now she was cuddled up against him, her blanket tangled at their feet. He smiled at how adorable she looked with a small drool stain on the corner of her mouth, strands of hair stuck there. He tugged the hair away gently trying and failing not to wake his girlfriend up with the motion.

Braeden’s eyes fluttered open and she smiled brightly up at Derek.

“Hey, how long have you been awake?”

“Not long, less than five minutes.”

“Mm, why don’t you go back to sleep? I’ll wake you up when I’m done making breakfast,” she said, getting out of bed.

Derek nodded, freezing when he remembered what he’d seen the night before. He grabbed Braeden’s arm, stopping her in her tracks. “You can’t go out there, not yet!”

“Why,” she asked confusedly.

Derek sighed, laying back against the pillows. “Do you remember when you told me Kira was sleeping with someone?“ He continued at her nod, “Last night, I woke up because I heard noise outside the room. It was Kira. She came home early..with a friend.”

“Did he have dark hair? A weird-looking jaw? That was just Scott.”

“It wasn’t Scott. It was Isaac.”

“Isaac? Kira has been sleeping with Isaac?! How could she do that? What was she thinking?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know Braeden. But what’s done is done. We can’t leave the room though. Isaac should be leaving, we’ll go out then.”

Sure enough, about 45 minutes later Isaac finally left and the couple walked out into the living area.

Kira was leaning up against the front door when she noticed her audience.

“Oh hey guys! I had no idea you were even home. When did you get in,” she asked innocently.

“We were home all day yesterday.”

“Well, I got home last night. Managed to catch an earlier flight. I thought you’d be asleep already so I just got a taxi ba-”

“Derek saw Isaac Kira,” Braeden cut in bluntly.

The smaller girl blushed deeply, laughing nervously. “You should’ve made yourself known Derek! No need to hide in the shadows. Would’ve been a good opportunity for you to meet Isaac.” she joked.

“They already know each other.”

“Perfect! We should all hang out some time, since we’re all friends.”

“We’re not, but we used to be,” Derek clarified.

Kira frowned, “Why’s that?”

“He slept with my girlfriend,” he stated bluntly. “We cleared a few things up, but you can imagine why I’m not exactly eager to be his friend again.”

Braeden shook her head, clearly annoyed. “None of that matters. What I want to know is why you were sneaking a guy around our apartment that I don’t even know?”

“We were just having fun Braeden. Besides, we weren’t causing anyone any harm!”

“How long has this been going on? Were you still with Scott?”

“No,” Kira responded, outraged. “I would never do that to him! Scott’s amazing, and I don’t deserve him and-.” She sat on the couch, covering her face with her hands.

“What are you talking about Kira,” she asked solemnly. 

“Scott. He-he came by a couple of weeks ago. You were with Derek and Isaac had just left. He wanted to talk about what happened between us but I said no. He gave me an envelope and left. Inside were blueprints, paint swatches..and the list we wrote of things we wanted our dream home to have.”

“Kira, please tell me it’s not what I think it is.”

“He built us a damn house Braeden! I accused him of cheating on me and he was building me my dream house,” she sobbed.

“How could you do that to him Kira?! Scott built you a fucking house and you still slept with Isaac,” Braeden accused furiously.

Derek couldn’t help but feel bad at the sight of Kira’s tears. He took a hold of his girlfriend’s arm to get her attention. “Hey, maybe you should cool it okay? Yelling at her isn’t going to do anyone any good.”

Braeden nodded in agreement, leading him to her bedroom, leaving Kira to ponder over what had happened.

                  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Talia Hale liked to think of herself as a classy lady. She certainly wasn’t old-fashioned by any means, not like her mother. Didn’t believe in the ridiculous idea that social classes shouldn’t mix. However, she did believe in the idea of a nice family, maybe even a white picket fence. That’s why she wants her son Derek to meet a nice young lady. He’s almost 26 and he hasn’t met anyone to settle down with. That’s certainly young by all means, but Talia knows that her son moves at a snail’s pace and he needs to get a move on so he can give her grandchildren before she dies damn it!

                  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Derek could practically feel Braeden pacing. He groaned as his phone rang for what seemed like the fifth time in 15 minutes.

“Just answer the damn phone Derek.”

Surprised at her snapping, Derek waved it off as stress and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

_“Derek honey?”_

“Mom? What’s going on? I have like 8 missed phone calls from you.”

_“Well you weren’t answering. I just wanted to make sure that you’re coming to dinner on Friday. I want to a-”_

“Mom, I really can’t talk right now. I’ll call you back later.”

_“Derek wa-”_

Derek hung up and shoved his phone in his pocket. He finally grabbed a hold of Braeden before she paced holes into the floor. Taking her face into his hands, he soothed her slightly. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Braeden sighed defeatedly. “I just feel bad. For what Kira did to Scott. The fact that Isaac unknowingly ruined another relationship, for everything.”

“Look, Kira made a decision and Kira is going to have to deal with the consequences.”

“You’re right, you’re right. Can we just..go to your place? I really don’t want to be here.”

“Sure,” he agreed. “Why don’t you pack a bag? You can stay overnight or the whole weekend if you’d like.”

She did just that and not long later they were on their way out of the apartment, Braeden pointedly ignoring the sound of crying coming from the bathroom.

                 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**ONE WEEK LATER**

_“Derek, would you like to tell me why you missed family dinner this weekend?”_

“I’m sorry mom. Some personal issues came up that I had to attend to. It just slipped my mind. I’m really sorry.”

_“Is everything okay honey?”_

“Everything’s fine mom. I just had some things come up, but everything’s fine now. I promise I’ll be at Sunday dinner tomorrow.”

_“Good, dress nice. We’ll have a nice guest with us.”_

“Mom, I’ve told you to stop trying to set me up with people!”

_“Derek, I just want you to find a nice girl to-”_

“I’ve already found someone!”

_“What did you say?”_

“Shit. I mean-I..I already found one. A nice girl that is.”

_“And why haven’t you told me young man?”_

“I was, uh, waiting for the right time?”

_“I expect to see her tomorrow.”_

“What? Mom it’s only been like a month! It’s too soon! Laura and Cora are gonna scare her off! She’ll move to Canada like the last person someone brought home!”

_“Derek Samuel Hale you will bring her to family dinner and that is final.”_

“Fine, whatever.”

_“What was that?”_

“I said yes ma’am.”

_“That’s what I thought. Well, I have to hang up now, I have a meeting soon. I love you honey.”_

“I love you too mom.” Derek sighed, hanging up the phone and throwing himself over his bed with a long groan.

“Who was that,” asked Braeden, who was currently organizing Derek’s closet by style and color of each item. she was still stressed about what had happened with Kira and the sale of the animal clinic reaching a close.

“My mother.”

“Oh, you didn’t sound too happy to hear what she had to say.”

“Did you hear any of it?”

Braeden shook her head, taking all of Derek’s long-sleeve shirts out of the closet. “Not really, just heard the raising of voices. Should I have heard?”

“She’s just upset that I missed dinner.”

“I told you to go Derek, I would’ve been fine,” she replied

Derek walked up behind his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “I’d rather be with you. In 25 years, I’ve never missed a single family dinner, you were my priority that day.”

Braeden smiled, turning to look at his boyfriend and kissing him sweetly. “Thank you. To be honest, I don’t feel all that guilty about causing you to miss dinner,” she teased. “But you’re going tomorrow.”

Stepping away, Derek suddenly found the color of his carpet incredibly fascinating. 

Confused by the lack of response, Braeden turned to look at Derek, brow raised. “You are going to dinner right?”

Derek scoffed, feigning calmness, “Of course I am, but so are you,” he mumbled.

“What?!”

“Uh, well..you see-”

“Derek are you _telling_ me that I’m going to meet your family _tomorrow_?”

“Look, I know it’s short notice,  but it slipped out when I was talking to my mom that we’re dating and she demanded your presence. I know you don’t know her, but you don’t say no to Talia Hale.”

Sighing, Braeden sat back where Derek had been laying earlier. “It’s not that I don’t want to meet your family because I do, I really do. It’s just, I’ve never done that before, meeting the parents. What if they don’t like me? What if they don’t think I’m good for you, or they hate me on principal? We’re not from the same class, I’m not on my way to being a hot shot lawyer like you, I don’t even know where my real parents are.”

“Hey hey hey, none of that matters okay?” Derek laid next to her, leaning slightly over her. “Whatever my parents think, whatever my sisters or my cousins or anyone in my family thinks of you, doesn’t matter.”

“But what if-”

“Shh. Stop worrying okay? And besides, why are you worried? Is it because you really care about my family’s opinion, or because you think theirs will influence mine.”

Braeden’s silence was his answer.

“That’s not going to happen Braeden. I know we’ve only been dating for less than a month, but I’ve been falling for you for a lot longer. Whatever anyone thinks, says, or does means nothing to me. The only one that can change my opinion of you is you.”

Braeden nodded with a pout which Derek kissed. He had to swallow back his next words. It was too soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only 9 more chapters! There will be consequences for the trouble that Isaac and Kira stirred, and the Hales are about to stir up even more! I sort of already have the epilogue planned, and the rest of the chapters will just be filling in some spaces in my outline.


	17. I Fucked Up (By Fucking You)

Braeden was currently getting ready for dinner with Derek and his parents. He was going to be arriving in 30 minutes or so, so she was adding the finishing touches to her outfit and trying to keep every hair in place. Despite getting over her nerves and wanting to make a good impression, Braeden absolutely refused to wear a dress. Instead, she had dressed in cropped black dress pants, an ivory blouse, and a black blazer.

Kira was watching her from her spot on Braeden’s bed, quiet as a mouse. Almost. “When will you be back?”

“I don’t know. I guess depending on how things go I might come home or spend the night at Derek’s.”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time at Derek’s apartment lately.”

“Well now that I know what’s been going on while I’ve been sleeping, or awake, I’d rather not be here.” Braeden couldn’t really fathom why she was so upset about her recent discovery. Maybe it was because of how disappointed she wass, she thought she knew her friend completely. Maybe it was because of what she did to Scott, who was thought to be guilty but turned out to be the victim. Or maybe it was because she got involved with Isaac. As much as she hated what Isaac did to Derek, she knew that he felt remorseful, and would feel guilty that he would be involved in the end of another relationship.

                 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

To say that Derek was freaking out would be an understatement. He could feel the vein throbbing in his neck that Laura always made fun of. In retrospect, he knew that Braeden was wonderful and his family would have no reason to dislike her, but the same couldn’t be said for them. His uncle Peter hadn’t been the same since the situation with Kate, quite understandably. He’d become almost mute, completely ignoring anyone who wasn’t a born Hale. His sisters tended to cross the line with anyone that was brought home. He couldn’t help but worry that this might finally be the time they cross the line. Don’t get him wrong, Derek understood why they did it. After what happened with Jennifer, they did their best to scare anyone off, to see if they could take it or not. Derek just hoped they didn’t push Braeden too far.

Coming to a stop in front of Braeden’s apartment complex, he got out of his car and quickly made his way up to her apartment.

His eyes widened when he saw her outfit. It wasn’t revealing by any means, but she looked gorgeous. “Missing one more dinner won’t hurt,” he joked.

Braeden blushed, shaking her head. “Not you, but your mother might hurt me.”

Derek laughed at the comment. “Where’s Kira?”

“She locked herself in her room just a few minutes ago.”

“Go easy on her okay? I’m sure she feels guilty for what she did.”

Braeden shook her head again. “But why? Why would she do that in the first place? Why did she keep doing it after she found out the truth?”

“I can’t answer that. I can only imagine why she did it. Maybe she thought it would help her get over her breakup with Scott, or maybe she wanted to pretend she didn’t care in the first place. Maybe the reason she continued to do it even after she found out the truth was to convince herself that her reasons for doing it initially had nothing to do with Scott. Perhaps she wanted to believe she did it only because she wanted to, and not just in spite.”

“That..makes a lot of sense actually. Kira’s never done very well dealing with issues like this.”

Derek nodded understandingly. “But enough about that. We should get going soon. If we’re late my mom will no doubt mortify us with her assumptions of why we’re late.”

                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Isaac fucked up. He fucked up so bad. How could he be so fucking stupid? He’d been used again. He was furious when Derek told him about Kira. First, Jennifer had used him to betray his best friend, and then he’d been used as a rebound. He kept messing everything up. Isaac thought Derek would finally start to consider forgiving him. Would this affect his chance of getting his friend back? And Braeden. God, they hadn’t even really met yet and she probably had the worst impression of him. First, he cheated with her boyfriend’s ex and now he slept with her friend right after a breakup.

Now he knew that the guy that had called asking for Kira was her ex-boyfriend. The guy had built a fucking house for the two of them. If that didn’t prove he wanted to be with her, nothing else would. Isaac had to be a cocky asshole and twist the knife.

               - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Okay, give me the run down. I know you’re dying to,” Braeden teased.

Derek chuckled nervously. “Okay, so my mom is kind of overprotective towards everyone, which is to be expected considering what happened to uncle Peter and I. She can also be a little invasive, but if she makes you too uncomfortable, just squeeze my knee or something and I’ll get her off your back.”

“Deal. And your dad?”

“My dad is more laid-back. He might crack an awkward joke or two about the sex life he’s going to assume we have.”

Braeden could do nothing more than blush deeply.

“Peter is rough around the edges. He never fully recovered from everything he went through with Kate. He has a..sort of, but not really girlfriend, Sophia. She’s the only person he trusts that isn’t a born Hale. If he happens to flinch for any reason, just look him in the eye and smile softly, it’ll calm him down.”

“There’s something else,” she stated. “What is it?”

“My sisters. They’re the ones I’m really worried about.  They can be kind of harsh sometimes. They’re intrusive, impulsive, and don’t have feelings.”

Braeden rolled her eyes, scoffing. “You have to be exaggerating. No one that’s related to you can be _that_ bad.”

Derek practically preened at the hidden compliment. “You’d be surprised.”

“I’ve handled worse then a couple of mean girls Derek.”

“It’s more than that. They’re persistent. Ever since Jennifer and Isaac, they became extremely overprotective. I’m worried that they’ll cross the line, and try to dig into your past.”

“Are you-?”

“No, god no,” Derek cut off. “I hate to say it, but I might have something in common with Him. And that’s that I’m not ashamed of you, or embarrassed in any way. I just think that what happened is your business, and no one has the right to demand to know anything.”

“That’s sweet Derek, but you don’t need to worry. If your sisters really start to bother me I’ll tell them something myself.”

“If they do, just walk out. I’ll follow after you.”

“Derek, I can’t do that to you, or your family! Not during dinner.”

Derek shook his head in disagreement. “This isn’t our first family dinner and it won’t be the last. You’re more important to me than this dinner Braeden.”

              - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kira laid in bed, digging into a tub of mint chip ice cream. She couldn’t stop going over everything that had happened in her head.

How could she have been so stupid? She thought she needed to get over Scott, so she got under Isaac. It was like she didn’t even care about what consequences her actions might have on others. It wasn’t until she saw the disappointed look on Braeden’s face that she even realized how she was acting. For the first time in her life, Kira had been determined to break the rules. She’d been determined to hurt Scott like he had hurt her, so much that she didn’t stop even after she found out what really happened. 

And Isaac, god he must have felt so used. He had been used. Derek had told her what had happened with Jennifer. First Isaac had been used to piss off a boyfriend and now he’d been used to piss off an ex-boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s here! Sorry for not posting last week, but school got really hectic. Things calmed down, so that shouldn’t happen again. Let me know what you think of chapter 17!:)


	18. Family Matters

Dinner had been going great. Talia had cooked a lovely roast with mashed potatoes and an assortment of vegetables. As expected, Peter had been almost entirely silent save for his conversation with Sophia, but he was not unkind to Braeden. Derek’s little cousins were all enamored with Braeden and couldn’t seem to stop asking her questions. Braeden didn’t seem to be annoyed with the attention, but was almost surprised that a bunch of kids could be so interested in her. Overall, to Derek’s extreme gratitude, Braeden had gotten along swimmingly with his family, especially with his parents, who couldn’t seem to possible love Braeden more.

The same couldn’t be said for his sisters though, especially Laura. Cora seemed to mostly be indifferent, still a little upset with Derek for not inviting Isaac over. She didn’t seem to care that Derek had specified that he intended for Braeden to be the only guest. He didn’t tell her that he had indeed invited Isaac, but the man had refused, still stuck on the idea that Derek wanted to punch him in the throat. Laura however, was simply being disrespectful.

“Oh, I forgot to mention, there were a few times where Braeden had to shower at my place. One time we had a little food fight,” he said, turning to smile at his girlfriend, “and the other time we both stunk like a bar. I lent her some of your clothes, but don’t worry. They’re intact and back in the guest room.”

“You should wash them before I spend the night again, I don’t want my clothes to stink.”

Their mother scolded Laura for her roundabout insult and Laura gave the most half-assed apology Derek had ever heard.

After that the meal was fairly quiet, with only a few unnecessary comments from Laura that Braeden brushed off as she finished her meal.

They all moved to the living room for dessert, double chocolate cake, when things got quickly got worse. The whole night, his family had been asking questions about his relationship with Braeden, but Laura had something else on her mind.

“So where are you from Braeden?”

“Uh, from everywhere really. I grew up in the foster system, so I didn’t really stay anywhere for more than a couple of years,” Braeden responded.

“Why’s that?”

“Things happened, out of my control really.”

“Well where did you go to college? Did you even go?”

Derek rolled his eyes at the snide comment. Though his parents had taught them to ignore social class, Laura had always placed herself slightly above others.

“I went to UCLA. Got a business degree,” Braeden said without blinking. She wasn’t going to let some snotty rich girl get to her, even if she was her boyfriend’s sister.

“What about your parents? Are they both in your life?” she prodded.

Derek looked to Braeden, almost willing her not to answer, but his girlfriend didn’t back down.

“No. Neither one of my parents is in my life, nor have they ever been.”

“Oh? And why is that? Did they pass away? Leave? Or was it something else?”

“It was a series of events that while unfortunate, ended up being for the greater good, and that I don’t feel like discussing with someone I’ve known for just over an hour.”

Laura faulted at the comment, surprised that Braeden attempted to put a stop to her intrusive behavior. No one had ever done that before, so she knew that Braeden was hiding something big. She went on to pry even more, asking about what she did, did she plan on doing something better, and why did she leave LA?

“Personal matters. Some things happened and I decided to move to Beacon Hills with my best friend.”

“Maybe Braeden has a secret kid floating around Der,” she joked humorlessly.

“I don’t actually.”

“Well what really got you to leave then Braeden? Did you kill someone? Or just go crazy and attack them?”

When Braeden’s jaw tightened and she didn’t say a word, the rest of the people in the room knew that Laura had really done it. Her last comment was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Braeden placed her napkin on the table, squeezed Derek’s knee, and silently walked out of the house. No one dared to stop her, not even Derek.

“You’re welcome.”

Everyone turned to look at Laura who was practically beaming, seemingly proud of herself for driving Braeden away.

“For what exactly,” asked Derek tensely.

“For getting rid of her, obviously. She clearly can’t handle a little push and shove.”

“She can handle push and shove. What she can’t handle is someone that she barely knows prying into her past when it’s full of negativity,” he yelled. “Look Laura, I may have taken your nosy ass with other people, but not anymore. Not with Braeden. I love her and I’m not going to let you get in the way of our happiness.”

Laura opened her mouth to argue but Derek silenced her. “You need to stay out of my business before I take you out of my life. Sister or not, I won’t allow you to ruin the only good thing I’ve had in a long time.” With that Derek grabbed his jacket from the hall closet along with Braeden’s and walked out of the house. 

He was surprised to see Braeden leaning against his car, shivering profusely. “Why didn’t you get in?”

“You locked it remember? I would’ve gone in to ask for the keys but it would’ve ruined my dramatic ending.”

Derek laughed at that. He shook his head, quickly unlocking the car and waiting for Braeden to climb in before pulling out of the long driveway. Not much later, they were back at Derek’s apartment.

“Do you still want to spend the night,” he asked carefully.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

“You’re really asking me that after what just happened?”

Braeden walked up behind Derek and wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing the nape of his neck. “What your sister did isn’t your fault. Can’t say you didn’t warn me.”

“It’s never been like that before though.”

“Are you sure? Or did you just not notice?”

“The second, I think,” he admitted.

He removed Braeden’s arms from his waist and took one of her hands, leading her to the couch. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and breathed deeply, taking in the his scent, which never failed to calm her.

“I’m sorry that everything turned out so shitty. I just wanted you to meet my family, not be interrogated by a self-proclaimed detective.”

Braeden snorted, shaking her head. “Your family was lovely, just not all of them. But it’s nothing I can’t handle. Laura didn’t really upset me. I just couldn’t stand the thought of someone thinking that they had the right to-”

“I love you,” Derek suddenly blurted.

Braeden choked on her words, eyes widening as she turned to face Derek. “What!?”

“I didn’t realize it until you left dinner. I was arguing with Laura and the words just fell out and I freaked out until I realized that I meant them. And I know it’s really soon, we haven’t even been together that long and I know it sounds cliche but I feel like I’ve known you for years and I’ve never felt this way about anyone, but I mean it. I lo-”

Braeden took Derek’s face in her hands, pulling him closer. “I love you too,” she whispered. 

Derek’s lips began to form a bright smile but Braeden stopped it, leaning in the rest of the way and kissing him deeply. Derek didn’t fail to reciprocate, weaving his fingers through Braeden’s hair, cradling her jaw. He kissed her back passionately, letting his tongue out to run along the seam of her lips. Braeden groaned, opening her mouth to let Derek in. Their tongues fought for dominance, which Braeden gave over easily. She leaned over him, practically climbing into his lap. She did exactly that when Derek let out a moan as she bit his lip. Derek grabbed her thighs tightly, holding her close to him as they continued to kiss. 

“Mm Braeden, I-”

Braeden pulled on his hair.

“ _God Brae_ -we should really-”

She rolled her hips against his.

“I think we need to-”

Derek moaned loudly.

“Braeden, we need to-”

“Take me to bed.”

Derek froze, pulling away from the kiss and holding Braeden back with the hands on her hips. 

“Derek? What’s wrong?”

“We shouldn’t. Not yet at least,” he explained when Braeden frowned. 

“Derek, it’s fine. I’m not going to-” Derek cut her off.

“I don’t want this to be _fine_ Braeden. Can you tell me with one hundred percent certainty that you won’t regret this even a little bit tomorrow? That you won’t wonder if it was too soon? If we should’ve waited?”

Braeden’s lack of response was enough of an answer. She moved out of his lap, staring ahead. Derek stood up from the couch and held a hand out to her.

“Come on. Let’s get ready for bed.”

Braeden took his hand and they went through their nighttime routine, going to bed shortly after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apparently this chapter decided not to post and I didn’t realize it until now. I was so proud of myself for getting it up on time. Well, if anyone is even still reading this story, only 6 more chapters left! Hope you like this one!


	19. Explanations

The next morning saw Derek waking up to loud banging on his front door. He looked over and saw that Braeden was still, remarkably, dead asleep. Though, considering the volume of the previously mentioned door banging, he wasn’t completely sure that she wasn’t just dead. After a quick check to find that she was much to warm to be a corpse, Derek through the covers back and made his way to the living room. 

When he opened the door, Laura was on the other side with her fist in the air, prepared to knock again. “I thought you’d never answer,” she said, annoyed.

“If I’d known it was you then I wouldn’t have,” he replied snarkily. Regardless, he moved aside to let his sister step inside the apartment. “What are you doing here?”

Laura looked around the apartment with a judgmental look on her face as if she was seeing it for the first time and didn’t like what she saw. “I was giving you some time to come up with an apology, but since that’s clearly not going to happen, I figured I’d come here and drag it out of you. You were out of line treating me the way you did at dinner.”

Derek scoffed at her insinuation. “You think _I_ was out of line? With what exactly? Putting an end to your controlling behavior? Defending my girlfriend?”

Laura laughed without humor. “Oh please Derek, do you really think you love Braeden? I find it funny that you declared your love for her to everyone, but you didn’t even mention her until last night!”

“I didn’t mention her because we didn’t get off to an easy start. There were some things that we had to work out before we could finally take the chance to be together. I decided to bring her to dinner because we were finally in a good place, and you almost ruined that.”

“I was just looking out for you,” she insisted.

Derek moved to sit on the couch, motioning for Laura to sit on the couch across from him, but she stubbornly remained standing. “I understand that Laura, and I appreciate it. But pushing people until they walk out of my life isn’t a very good way to look out for me.”

Laura pursed her lips and sat on the couch. “Mark broke up with me,” she blurted.

Derek furrowed his brow, confused as to what that had to do with the situation at hand. “Wha-?”

“He hooked up with Danielle the night before I flew in. I didn’t even see it coming.”

Derek’s eyes widened slightly. “Danielle? That girl whose parents kicked her out for being bi?”

Laura simply nodded. “The one that I met at my internship, who I invited to move in with me after four months.”

“Is that why..?”

Laura just nodded again. “I think I just projected. And it didn’t really help that you’d kind of been through the same thing. Guess I really didn’t feel like welcoming Braeden. I’m sorry Derek, I didn’t mean to overstep, and I’m sorry I tried to put the blame on you when you were just trying to protect someone you love. I’d also like to apologize to Braeden as well if i can.”

“She’s sleeping right now, but I’ll talk to her. As for me, I understand why you acted the way you did, but that doesn’t make it okay. That’s all I have to say right now.

“I understand, and again, I’m sorry.” With that, Laura made her way out of the apartment.

Hearing a small noise, Derek turned and saw Braeden standing in the entrance to the hallway, dressed in his shirt from the night before.

                                                 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Scott had just finished treating a fluffy ragdoll for a broken leg when the bell over the clinic door rang. He looked up and saw Kira standing there. Clearing his throat, Scott placed the file he was holding on Braeden’s desk so she could upload it when she came in. He cleared his throat again, waiting for Kira to speak.

“I just-I came to talk to you.”

“I’m busy,” he replied coldly.

Kira looked down at her shoes frowning, debating whether she should persist or just leave. “Just five minutes of your time, please.”

Scott nodded, sitting down in the waiting area. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Scott finally spoke up. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Sorry, I’m just gathering my thoughts.”

“Take your time.”

A short second later, Kira began speaking. “I’m sorry. First of all. I didn’t-I didn’t think about what I was doing. All I knew was what I thought I knew, and that was enough for me to react.”

“What are you talking about,” asked Scott. “What did you think you knew?”

“That there was someone else,” Kira replied in a broken tone. “It’s just..you were always late for dates, or you’d cancel. Sometimes you just wouldn’t show up without a word and you never gave an explanation.”

On one side, Scott wanted to comfort Kira, but another part of him wanted to yell at her. “Why didn’t you talk to me!?”

“How was I supposed to? You were never there! That’s how we got into this mess in the first place!”

Scott couldn’t hide his growing anger any longer. He stood up suddenly and slammed his hand against the wall. “You got us into this mess Kira! You made assumptions about was going on and decided to take matters into your own hands without talking to me!”

“Don’t put this all on me,” yelled Kira. “I just told you that you were never there! When was I supposed to talk to you?”

“Do you remember what you told me? That night you decided not to move to Japan with your parents?”

Kira shook her head in response.

“You said that we were worth everything. That you knew I would never do anything to hurt you, no matter what anyone else told you.”

“I-”

Scott raised his hand to stop her. “You lied to me. The minute something changed, you immediately assumed the worst, and no one put those ideas in your head. I was building a house for us Kira!”

“I’m sorry! But you have to understand where I’m coming from,” insisted Kira.

“Understand where I’m coming from. Leave.”

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“How long have you been standing there?”

Braeden walked over to Derek and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Long enough.”

Derek reciprocated the embrace, holding Braeden’s where they laid around him. “And how much did you hear?”

“Enough,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “I think you should forgive her.”

Derek snorted, moving away from her and into the kitchen to prepare coffee. “That’s easy for you to say. You haven’t had to put up with her nearly as long as I have.”

“You haven’t put up with her Derek. She’s your sister and no matter how mad you are right now, I know you love her. And I don’t want to be the thing that comes between you two.”

Derek moved over to stand between Braeden’s legs where she sat on the counter. “That’s not going to happen. To be honest I’ve pretty much forgiven Laura. But I know her, and if she feels like I let her off easy, she’s likely to do something like this again.”

“You don’t know that,” she mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

“Hey, hey what’s actually going on,” he asked, taking her face in his hands.

“What if she’s right?”

“About what? You killing someone?” he joked, frowning when she stared at him blankly.

“That wasn’t nearly as funny as you wanted it to be,” she deadpanned.

“Sorry,” Derek pouted.

Smiling slightly, Baeden shook off his apology. “I just mean, no matter why she said what she said, there was an implication there. I mean, what if I’m not good for you? There’s things I haven’t told you, what if I do and you stop loving me like you say you do and then I’ll be alone again an-” She was silenced by a mouth on hers.

When Derek realized his kiss wasn’t being reciprocated, he frowned and pulled away feigning heartbreak, his face smoothing out when he realized Braeden was breathing heavily. “You actually believe all that don’t you? That I’ll find out about your past from you or anyone else and I’ll just stop caring about you.

Braeden said nothing. She simply closed her eyes as she calmed her breathing and kept them closed even after. 

“That’s not going to happen you know,” offered Derek.

At that, Braeden finally met Derek’s gaze again.

“I can’t promise that I’ll never stop caring about you, and you can’t promise me the same. What I can promise you is that I love you for who you are _now_. And I won’t _stop_ loving you for who you were then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is suuuuuuper late, but to be honest I just got overwhelmed with real life and lost all my motivation to write. As of right now, we are back on regular schedule which is Friday updates. Hope you like this! Things are starting to unfold.
> 
> P.S. I just barely realized that I posted this chapter on tumblr and not ao3. Oops?


	20. Don't Get Your Hopes Up

As the bell over the animal clinic door rang, Braeden looked up from the box she was packing. Boyd stood at the entrance awkwardly.

“Hey, you can come in, I don’t bite. Though Motor the doberman has been escaping his cage so he might,” she joked. “What can I do for you?”

“Derek said you’d be here. Said your uncle is starting in on closing  down the clinic.”

“Yeah. I’ve just started packing up things that wont be essential for the next two weeks like extra supplies and documents for new patients. Deaton is moving his own stuff up to Redding over the weekend, most of it at least.”

Boyd nodded in response. “So I wanted to ask, since the clinic is closing up, do you think you’ll be ready to take up the position at Alcott’s?”

“Yeah, but,” Braeden paused, trying to word her thoughts carefully. “I’ve been re-thinking it. Things are a bit complicated right now and I don’t know if I can travel often, even short distances.”

Boyd nodded again in understanding. “Yeah, Derek told me what happened with his family. But in any case, traveling wouldn’t be necessary.”

“What do you mean?”

“The owner’s daughter snuck her friends in and they smoked pot all around the place. Had to close for a whole day while it aired out. Poor guy’s so desperate to get her out of there that he offered you a promotion, supervisor of expedition.”

“I don’t even know what that is.”

“It means you’ll be telling people where to go instead of doing it yourself,” he explained.

“That sounds great! My uncle is starting to wean his patients away from the clinic, so I can start any time.”

“Great, because you start tomorrow.”

With that, Boyd made his way out of the clinic, leaving Braeden to continue packing up.

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Boyd made his way back to the apartment he shared with Erica. Whistling the tune he heard on the radio, he stopped abruptly when he saw the blond sitting on the couch. She had left for work not two hours ago. Looking at her, Boyd could tell something was wrong. She was curled up, back in her pajamas and her makeup was faded.

“Hey, what are you doing home?”

“They were wrong.”

Boyd frowned, sitting on the coffee table in front of Erica.

“What? Who was wrong?”

“The tests. I’m not pregnant.”

Boyd finally understood what his girlfriend was talking about. A week ago, Erica had started throwing up at random times during the day. Derek joked that she was probably pregnant so she took a test that resulted as positive. Erica had started freaking out, but only because she didn’t think they would be successful when they decided to start trying.

“A-are you sure? Did you take more tests?”

Erica shook her head. “I went to the doctor instead. They ran other tests and I’m not pregnant. It was just a stupid stomach bug.”

“Well..maybe we can try again. Intentionally. Not like it’d be a hardship,” he joked.

Erica shook her head again. “It would just be pointless.”

Boyd frowned, confused. “Why?”

“Because. The reason I’m not pregnant is because I can’t _get_ pregnant.”

Silence. After a few minutes, Boyd grabbed his jacket from the chair he’d set it on and made his way out of the apartment.

As soon as the door closed Erica broke down. In the 6 years they’d been together, Boyd had only ever asked her for one thing. And now she wouldn’t be able to give him that.

                                                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Derek was on the phone with his mother when a loud knock sounded from his door.

“Uh hey mom, I’m gonna have to call you back,”

_“What? No Derek, we have to talk about having another dinner. Make sure Braeden is availa-”_

Derek hung up the phone and opened the door just in time for Boyd to storm in.

“She can’t have kids.”

“Uh Boyd, buddy. You’re gonna need to calm down and explain what the hell you’re talking about.”

After a while Boyd calmed down and explained what had happened to Derek. The man was completely shocked.

“Are you sure?”

Boyd snorted humorlessly. “That’s what I asked, Turns out she just had a stomach bug.”

“But how-? I mean, wouldn’t there have been some kind of sign?”

“Guess not.”

“Is she really infertile though? Are the doctors sure that she’s not just having difficulties?”

Boyd slammed his hand against the nearest wall. “Dammit Derek! It’s not a difficulty! She can’t have kids, it’s just that fucking simple!”

“Boyd-”

“She just can’t- the one person I’ve imagined a future with. The woman I swore would be the mother of my children. She can’t be. She can’t-she can’t have kids Derek.” Boyd broke down, unable to control his feelings any longer.

Derek quickly wrapped his arms around his friend, letting him cry for as long as he needed.

“Hey, it’s gonna be just fine. You’re both strong. We’ll figure something out. We always do.”

He’d known and been friends with Boyd for almost half his life and he’s always wanted kids. Though he didn’t think the other man was aware, Derek knew that Erica had never really wanted to be a mother, too afraid to be like her own parents.

A few years ago, Erica came to him confused about her feelings on the subject. He convinced her to talk to the man and they eventually decided that one day they would try for a baby.

So far they had been trying for almost a year with no results. Erica was considering going to see a doctor, but he didn’t know if she actually had. Until now. 

Boyd had always wanted kids with Erica, but now that he couldn’t have both, which did he want more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just 5 more chapters left guys! Once again trying to give the other characters some attention, which in turn displays Derek and Braeden as individuals and not just Draeden. Hope you like this one!:)


	21. IMPORTANT Author's Note

If you are at all interested in me finishing this story and can forgive my 2+ year absence, head over to my Tumblr for an important update @draeisbae

Love you guys!

**Author's Note:**

> There you go! This chapter focused more on non-Draeden storylines, but come on, tell me you weren’t dying to know what really happened with Isaac? And why Scott was keeping secrets from Kira?
> 
> Sorry this chapter was late, but things got hectic this week and I couldn’t post last night.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, and tell me what you think!:)


End file.
